Chernoff faces are an unusually human way of representing statistical data. Herman Chernoff, who conceived of them, died on July 6, 2026. Read an appreciation of him from the Stanford University department of statistics (where he was for many years on the faculty). We have many times celebrated the wonder and power of Chernoff faces, […]
Chernoff Faces, perhaps the most human way of presenting statistical data— the method was invented by Herman Chernoff, thus the name— gained extra expression in this later paper by Bernhard Flury and Hans Riedwyl: “Graphical Representation of Multivariate Data by Means of Asymmetrical Faces.” Bernhard Flury and Hans Riedwyl, Journal of the American Statistical Association, […]
Your ability to spot a weird face might be worth big money in this, the dawning era of Big Data. A statistical technique called “Chernoff faces” transforms mulivariate data — numbers that tend to make people feel numb — into quirky/goofy cartoon faces. Oddball items in the data stand out. You’ll more likely to recognize an […]