The following articles have been published in Significance magazine

Pearson and the Parameter

In the third in our series of articles on key moments in the history of statistics, Simon Raper explores the philosophical ideas of Karl Pearson, and his belief that parameters and distributions, not things, are the proper object of scientific study.

Fisher’s Random Idea

In this second article in our series on key moments in the history of statistics, Simon Raper invites us to a field in England, where R. A. Fisher urged scientists to stop trying to control nature and embrace randomness instead.

Bernoulli’s Golden Theorem

Simon Raper begins a new series on key moments in the history of statistics, starting in seventeenth‐century Switzerland with theologian‐turned‐mathematician Jacob Bernoulli, whose study of probability helped change the face of scientific inquiry.

The Shock of the Mean

In our cover story, Simon Raper recounts the history of the arithmetic mean, why scientists of the past rejected the idea, and why their concerns are still relevant today in the ongoing struggle to communicate statistical concepts.

Why Good Science is Good Business

Ideas developed by a twentieth‐century philosopher, when applied by statisticians, can help companies improve decision‐making, says Simon Raper.