Description
Book SynopsisChance rules our daily lives in many different ways. From the outcomes of the lottery to the outcomes of medical tests, from the basketball court to the court of law. The ways of chance are capricious. Bizarre things happen all the time. Nevertheless, chance has a logic of its own. It obeys the rules of probability. But if you open a standard book on probability, you may very well feel far removed from everyday life. Abstract formulas and mathematical symbols stare back at you with almost every turn of the page.This book introduces you to the logic of chance without the use of mathematical formulas or symbols. In Part One, you will meet the fascinating pioneers of the mathematics of probability, including Galileo Galilei and Blaise Pascal. Their stories will introduce you, step by step, to the basics of probability. In Part Two, various examples in all areas of daily life will show you how chance defies our expectations time and again. But armed with the basic rules of probability and a good dose of inventiveness, you will be able to unravel the counter-intuitive logic of chance.
Trade Review"This charming book discusses some of the most striking misconceptions about randomness, from antiquity to the current Covid-19 crisis."; Ted Hill; Professor Emeritus of Mathematics; Georgia Institute of Technology; "I am not aware of any previous attempt to write an introduction to probability with such a varied and detailed tour of the lives of its founding fathers, along with modern-day anecdotes."; John Haigh; Emeritus Reader in Statistics; University of Sussex; Author of Taking Chances;
Table of ContentsIntroduction; The Birth of Probability: The Silence of Antiquity; Dice and Odds; The Mathematics of Chance; The Introduction of Probability; The Logic of Chance: The Capricious Ways of Chance; Amazing Coincidences; Test, Test, Test; Trials by Numbers; The Monty Hall Dilemma; Ten Challenging Problems; Solutions; Epilogue; Bibliography; List of Illustrations;
