Are statistics factual? - Answers

Statistics is not considered facts at all, unless maybe statistical facts.Statistics is widely used in medicine and science and provide a solid foundation upon where theories become rationalized.It can be used to convey messages of opinion and this is often only true to those actually taking part in the statistics.Statistics is often used in a way to hide the reality.Statistics is very often used financiallyIn most cases we simply use statistics because we simply can not calculate some things to be definitely true or definitely wrong. Statistics provide us with answers in percent true and/or percent wrong. It simply builds probability out of what might seem like chaos and is one of the most important tools in science today.Examples:Drugs and medicine:This new drug "Prozhivridder" (fictional name for a drug to cure aids)Statistics prove that it can cure Aids in 50% of the infected population.What the statistics do or may not mention is that the other 50% dies from it.Alcohol and opinions:Statistics tell us that we should lower the age-limit for buy and use of alcohol.86% says Yes and only 14% said No. We asked 1000 people regarding this.Statistics does not tell us that all people asked were in their teens, and this will make the result wrong when it comes to the general populationScience:Statistics tell us that there will be a mayor solar-storm this year.Statistics can not be used this way properly. They indicate a higher chance of a solar-storm emerging soon due to recent events. It makes it probable but probability will never become factual truth unless by pure chance or a somewhat "educated guess"Statistics is a tool for interpretation.A group of children were asked to solve a few math-problems.On the question: "What is a half multiplicated by a half"97% of the childred wrote the answer as being One.We can ofcourse interprete this as One is the factual answer because why would so many say it is, if it isn't.Since we know that the answer is a fourth, we can interprete it differently and say that the general childrens knowledge of math is pretty poor.