Stats: Modeling the World, 7th edition

Published by Pearson (January 28, 2026) © 2027
  • David E. Bock
  • Floyd Bullard
  • Paul F. Velleman
  • Richard D. De Veaux

Title overview

For courses in AP Introductory Statistics (algebra-based).

Get students thinking statistically from the start

Stats: Modeling the World engages students immediately with practical data analysis and graphics, encouraging them to think in a statistical context. Current, relevant examples and data—along with the authors' signature "Think, Show, and Tell" method—help them approach a question, solve the problem and communicate meaning.

The 7th Edition aligns with the most recent guidelines of the GAISE project sponsored by the American Statistical Association, and is completely consistent with the new AP Statistics syllabus. Examples, exercises and data are updated throughout.

Hallmark features of this title

  • Step-By-Step Examples emphasize thinking about a question, calculating results, and reporting findings (Think, Show, and Tell). Most are based on recent news stories, articles, and other real-world sources.
  • Hundreds of exercises include the most recent data.
  • What Have We Learned? chapter-ending study guides review key concepts and terms.
  • Practice Exams after each part offer both multiple-choice and free response questions.
  • Simulations in almost every chapter introduce a new topic, illustrate a concept, or help analyze data when traditional methods are insufficient.
  • TI Tips show how to use TI-84 Plus CE Statistics functions with the StatWizard operating system. TI-Nspire Activities identify demonstrations and investigations for TI-Nspire handhelds.

New and updated features of this title

  • Complete consistency with the new AP Statistics syllabus reflects the biggest revision to the syllabus in the history of the course.
    • Adds new Investigative Question to the new Chapter 8; ensures sections can be skipped without discontinuity. Chapter 23 comprises the topics that are now optional, for instructors who wish to keep them in their courses.
  • Updated examples, exercises, and data:
    • Revises some of the Think/Show/Tell Step-by-Step examples with new contexts and data; adds more than 100 new exercises and updated continuing exercises with the most recent data.
    • Provides data where possible through MyLab Statistics or at www.pearsonhighered.com/mathstatsresources. Many examples and exercises are based on recent news stories, research articles, and other authentic sources; many sources are listed so students can explore them further.
  • Full alignment with the most recent GAISE (Guidelines for Assessment and Instruction in Statistics Education).

Key features

Features of MyLab Statistics for the 7th Edition

  • StatCrunch®: integrated directly into MyLab Statistics, this powerful web-based statistical software allows users to perform complex analyses, share data sets, and generate compelling reports of their data. The vibrant online community offers tens of thousands of shared data sets for students to analyze.
  • Interactive applets simulate statistical analysis, allowing students to work with data at scale; instructors can use these to augment topics like bootstrapping. Connected MyLab homework problems offer the option to assign assessment using these simulations.
  • Exercises with immediate feedback offer helpful insights when students enter incorrect answers; they are updated for new data and clarity, and to align with the new AP standards. They regenerate algorithmically to give students unlimited practice, and most include learning aids such as guided solutions and sample problems.
  • Statistical software support: Instructors and students can copy datasets from the MyLab and pearsonhighered.com/mathstatsresource exercises directly into software such as StatCrunch, MiniTab, JMP, or Excel®. Students can also access tutorial videos, Study Cards, and manuals for a variety of statistical software programs.
  • Real-world data examples and data sets: Statistical concepts are applied to everyday life through extensive current, real-world data examples and exercises. Data sets from the book are available in file formats to apply in most statistical analysis software, including TI, Excel, and StatCrunch.
  • Personalized homework: Students take a quiz or test and receive a subsequent homework assignment that is personalized based on their performance.

Table of contents

I. EXPLORING AND UNDERSTANDING DATA

  • 1. Stats Starts Here
  • 2. Displaying and Describing Categorical Data
  • 3. Displaying and Summarizing Quantitative Data
  • 4. Understanding and Comparing Distributions
  • 5. The Standard Deviation as a Ruler and the Normal Model
  • Review of Part I

II. GATHERING DATA

  • 6. Sample Surveys
  • 7. Experiments and Observational Studies
  • 8. Designing a Statistical Study
  • Review of Part II

III. RANDOMNESS AND PROBABILITY

  • 9. From Randomness to Probability
  • 10. Probability Rules!
  • 11. Probability Models
  • Review of Part III

IV. FROM THE DATA AT HAND TO THE WORLD AT LARGE

  • 12. Sampling Distribution Models
  • 13. Confidence Intervals for Proportions
  • 14. Testing Hypotheses About Proportions
  • 15. More About Tests and Intervals
  • 16. Comparing Two Proportions
  • 17. Associations Between Categorical Variables
  • Review of Part IV

V. LEARNING ABOUT THE WORLD

  • 18. Inferences About Means
  • 19. Comparing Means
  • 20. Paired Samples and Blocks
  • Review of Part V

VI. ASSOCIATIONS BETWEEN QUANTITATIVE VARIABLES

  • 21. Scatterplots, Association, and Correlation
  • 22. Linear Regression
  • *23. Inferences for Regression (optional topics)
  • Review of Part IV

APPENDICES

  • A. Selected Formulas
  • B. Guide to Statistical Software
  • C. Answers
  • D. Photo and Text Acknowledgments
  • E. Index
  • F. Tables

Author bios

About our authors    

David E. Bock taught mathematics at Ithaca High School for 35 years. He has taught Statistics at Ithaca High School, Tompkins-Cortland Community College, Ithaca College, and Cornell University. Dave has won numerous teaching awards, including the MAA’s Edyth May Sliffe Award for Distinguished High School Mathematics Teaching (twice), Cornell University’s Outstanding Educator Award (three times), and has been a finalist for New York State Teacher of the Year. 

Dave holds degrees from the University at Albany in Mathematics (B.A.) and Statistics/Education (M.S.). Dave has been a reader and table leader for the AP Statistics exam, serves as a Statistics consultant to the College Board, and leads workshops and institutes for AP Statistics teachers. He has served as K–12 Education and Outreach Coordinator and a senior lecturer for the Mathematics Department at Cornell University. His understanding of how students learn informs much of this book’s approach.  

Dave and his wife relax by biking or hiking, spending much of their free time in Canada, the Rockies, or the Blue Ridge Mountains. They have a son, a daughter, and 4 grandchildren. 

Floyd Bullard taught high school mathematics for 26 years, including 2 as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Benin, West Africa, when he was 23 years old. He most recently taught at the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics in Durham. Currently he is on the math faculty at Duke University, where he also earned his Ph.D. in Statistics in 2009. He plays Dungeons & Dragons regularly and also enjoys playing the piano.

Paul F. Velleman has an international reputation for innovative Statistics education. He is the author and designer of the multimedia Statistics program ActivStats, for which he was awarded the EDUCOM Medal for innovative uses of computers in teaching statistics, and the ICTCM Award for Innovation in Using Technology in College Mathematics. He also developed the award-winning statistics program, Data Desk, the Internet site Data and Story Library (DASL) (DASL.datadescription.com), which provides data sets for teaching Statistics (and is one source for the datasets used in this text.), and the tools referenced in the text for simulation and bootstrapping. Paul’s understanding of using and teaching with technology informs much of this book’s approach.  

Paul taught Statistics at Cornell University, where he was awarded the MacIntyre Award for Exemplary Teaching. He is Emeritus Professor of Statistical Science from Cornell and lives in Maine with his wife, Sue Michlovitz. He holds an A.B. from Dartmouth College in Mathematics and Social Science, and M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Statistics from Princeton University, where he studied with John Tukey. His research often deals with statistical graphics and data analysis methods. Paul co-authored (with David Hoaglin) ABCs of Exploratory Data Analysis. Paul is a Fellow of the American Statistical Association and of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Paul is the father of 2 boys. In his spare time he sings with the a capella group VoXX and studies tai chi. 

Richard D. De Veaux is an internationally known educator and consultant. He has taught at the Wharton School and the Princeton University School of Engineering, where he won a Lifetime Award for Dedication and Excellence in Teaching. He is the C. Carlisle and M. Tippit Professor and Chair of the Statistics Department at Williams College, where he has taught since 1994. Dick has won both the Wilcoxon and Shewell awards from the American Society for Quality. He is a fellow of the American Statistical Association (ASA) and an elected member of the International Statistical Institute (ISI). In 2008, he was named Statistician of the Year by the Boston Chapter of the ASA and was the 2018–2021 Vice-President of the ASA. Dick is also well known in industry, where for more than 30 years he has consulted for such Fortune 500 companies as American Express, Hewlett-Packard, Alcoa, DuPont, Pillsbury, General Electric, and Chemical Bank. Because he consulted with Mickey Hart on his book Planet Drum, he has also sometimes been called the “Official Statistician for the Grateful Dead.” His real-world experiences and anecdotes illustrate many of this book’s chapters. 

Dick holds degrees from Princeton University in Civil Engineering (B.S.E.) and Mathematics (A.B.) and from Stanford University in Dance Education (M.A.) and Statistics (Ph.D.), where he studied dance with Inga Weiss and Statistics with Persi Diaconis. His research focuses on the analysis of large data sets and data mining in science and industry. In his spare time, he is an avid cyclist and swimmer. He also is the founder of the  “Diminished Faculty,” an a cappella Doo-Wop quartet at Williams College, and sings bass in the college concert choir and with the Choeur Vittoria of Paris. Dick is the father of 4 children. 

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