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“Twice as many people have been murdered in Toronto this year to date, as were murdered in Toronto at the same date last year.”

“New protocol 33% more effective in treating rare blood disorder.”

You have seen similar claims. Consider: What role do these statements play in the stories containing them? What story does the quoted numbers tell? How can we evaluate and compare these two claims?

These are the questions that we will attempt to answer in Physics 2NM3 – Media Numeracy: Telling stories with numbers, a new course offered by the Department of Physics & Astronomy.

Designed to give students insight on how numbers can be used and mis-used in the media, Physics 2NM3 will provide students from every academic background with simple, practical and understandable tools to allow them to interpret the vast majority of the quantitative statements that they encounter in media stories.

Media Numeracy: Telling stories with numbers – Physics 2NM3
Prerequisites: None

The course will be offered on Dean’s Permission in Winter Term 207/18. More information about the course can be found here..