Science in action: The most important “transferable skill” is mathematics

5 March 2015, 16:00 – 17:00

Location: Lecture theatre 2, lower ground floor, Royal Free Hospital

Professor David Colquhoun delivers this 'science in action' lecture titled 'the most important "transferable skill" is mathematics'.

The professor said: "Much has been said recently about the problem of irreproducibility. It results in part from misunderstanding of statistics. In my talk I'll explain why most screening tests do more harm than good (so NHS health checks are a waste of money). Then I'll explain why the term statistical 'significance' should never be used, and how its use has resulted in many false discoveries. Despite the title, I'll talk about only things that are little more complicated than counting."