This book provides a broad general survey of the principles of scientific method, and a substantial basic knowledge of statistics particularly in its application to scientific research and with special relevance to the fields of the social and biological sciences. The introductory chapters aim to place statistical procedures in the reader’s general philosophy and experience, and to show him their logical importance and practical utility. Mr. Kelley then develops a detailed presentation of essential statistics. Finally, he makes a serious but admittedly initial attempt to release the niceties of middle and advanced mathematics to the peculiar problems that may be found in a given issue and with given data. His book will be of particular value in the teaching of elementary statistics in that it provides a broad scientific and logical approach. Yet, while its earlier chapters constitute a complete first semester course and the later chapters a reference handbook for one going no further, these later chapters also provide the basic topics, procedures and formulas for incorporation into second and third semester courses in applied statistics.

This volume constitutes a radical revision and extension of the author’s 1938 Tables. Herein is an extensive table of normal probability functions. 3-point interpolation coefficients are given with 4 figure arguments. These coefficients are compensatorily rounded off to five figures. A similar rounding off to seven figures of 4-point coefficients has been made. Truman Kelley’s method for normalizing variance ratios, which he presents together with tables facilitating the process, is of particular importance for experimental scientists.