Statistical distributions and methods were all designed by humans for a particular purpose. If you understand calculus, you can start with a statement of the de

Statistical distributions and methods were all designed by humans for a particular purpose. If you understand calculus, you can start with a statement of the desired goal, and then work backwards to derive the formulas you need. The final form you get then makes sense, and you have some ownership of it. In a pinch you can re-derive it for yourself, but even if you look it up in a book you understand what the parts mean. If you don’t know calculus, someone has to tell you the formulas, which will seem like mysterious completely arbitrary magic. Memorizing them will be a pain in the butt. When you try to use statistics you will make small mistakes which will lead to wrong or even entirely incoherent results, but you won’t notice because you’re just following a recipe you don’t understand. Of course, to do real statistics you need linear algebra as well.