The Lady Tasting Tea: How Statistics Revolutionized Science in the Twentieth Century

At a summer tea party in Cambridge, England, a guest states that tea poured into milk tastes different from milk poured into tea. Her notion is shouted down by the scientific minds of the group. But one man, Ronald Fisher, a pioneer in the field of statistics, proposes to scientifically test the hypothesis. The Lady Tasting Tea spotlights not only Fisher's theories but also the revolutionary ideas of dozens of men and women on subjects that affect our everyday lives. Writing with verve and wit, David Salsburg traces breakthroughs ranging from the rise and fall of Karl Pearson's theories, to the methods of quality control that rebuilt postwar Japan's economy, to a pivotal early study on the capacity of a smaller beer cask at the Guinness brewery. Brimming with intriguing tidbits and colorful characters, The Lady Tasting Tea salutes the spirit of those who dared to look at the world in a new way.