Table of Contents 1A Living in the Media Age.......................................................................1 1B Propositions and Truth Values..............................................................9 1C Sets and Venn Diagrams.....................................................................17 1D Analyzing Arguments.........................................................................29 1E Critical Thinking in Everyday Life.....................................................37 2 Approaches to Problem Solving 2A Understand, Solve, and Explain..........................................................46 2B Extending Unit Analysis.....................................................................52 2C Problem-Solving Hints........................................................................58 3 Numbers in the Real World 3A Uses and Abuses of Percentages.........................................................66 3B Putting Numbers in Perspective..........................................................74 3C Dealing with Uncertainty....................................................................80 3D Index Numbers: The CPI and Beyond................................................88 3E Numerical Surprises: Polygraphs, Mammograms, and More....................................................................96 4 Managing Money 4A Taking Control of Your Finances.....................................................108 4B The Power of Compounding.............................................................114 4C Savings Plans and Investments.........................................................120 4D Loan Payments, Credit Cards, and Mortgages .................................126 4E Personal Income Taxes.....................................................................132 4F Understanding the Federal Budget ...................................................140 5 Statistical Reasoning 5A Fundamentals of Statistics ................................................................146 5B Should You Believe a Statistical Study? ..........................................154 5C Statistical Tables and Graphs............................................................162 5D Graphics in the Media.......................................................................172 5E Correlation and Causality .................................................................180 6 Putting Statistics to Work