The Numbers Guy examines numbers in the news, business and politics. Some numbers are flat-out wrong or biased, while others are valid and help us make informed decisions. Carl Bialik tells the stories behind the stats, in daily updates on this blog and in his column published every other Friday in The Wall Street Journal. Carl, who holds a degree in mathematics and physics from Yale University, also cowrites The Daily Fix, a sports column on WSJ.com. He welcomes your comments at .

WSJ.com: The Numbers Guy
copyright © 2008 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
Carl Bialik examines the way numbers are used, and abused.

How Unlikely Was the Historic 11-10 Score?
Calculating the probability on that Steelers-Chargers final score.
Where Do Prisoners Live?
A controversy over how the Census Bureau counts prisoners.
More on the Continued Driving Decline
How the government measures monthly traffic.
By One Calculation, Election Came Down to 450,000 Voters
How McCain could have won by winning over 450,000 Obama voters.
Which Party Benefits From the Electoral College?
How the Electoral College favored Obama.
Pollsters and Cellphones: An Update
How important was it for pollsters to dial cellphones?
It Ain’t Over…
The votes that don't get counted on Election Day.
Breaking Down Voter-Turnout Numbers
Did turnout set new records? Depends on how you define it.
Obama Won. So Did Election Forecasters.
How accurate were election predictions?
Pollsters in the Eye of the Storm
How pollsters spend Election Day.