Struck by lightning : the curious world of probabilities / Jeffrey S. Rosenthal.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Rosenthal, Jeffrey S. (Jeffrey Seth)

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Probabilities.

Random variables.

Chance.

Stochastic processes.

Physical Description:

264 pages : illustrations ; 21 cm

Place of Publication:

Washington, DC : Joseph Henry Press, 2006.

Summary:

Human beings have long been both fascinated and appalled by randomness. On the one hand, we love the thrill of a surprise party, the unpredictability of a budding romance, or the freedom of not knowing what tomorrow will bring. But we also hate uncertainty's dark side. Terrorists attack, diseases strike, accidents happen, and we never know if we'll be that one in a million statistic.

The reality is that when it comes to randomness, you can run, but you can't hide. So many aspects of our lives are governed by events that are simply not in our control. In this entertaining yet sophisticated look at the world of probabilities, author Jeffrey Rosenthal-an improbably talented math professor-explains the mechanics of randomness and teaches us how to develop an informed perspective on probability.

Contents:

Surrounded by randomness: probabilities everywhere

What are the odds of that? Coincidence and surprise

Laying down the law: why casinos always win

Dealing the cards: bridge, poker, and blackjack

Murder most foul: measuring trends

Utility functions: how to make decisions

White lab coats: what studies do and don't show

Ain't gonna happen: very low probabilities

Interlude: the case of the collapsing casino

Fifty-one percent to forty-nine percent: the true meaning of polls

Nineteen times out of twenty: margins of error

Randomness to the rescue: when uncertainty is your friend

Evolution, genes, and viruses: randomness in biology

That wily Monty Hall: finding probabilities from clues

Spam, spam, probability, and spam: blocking unwanted e-mail

Ignorance, chaos, and quantum mechanics: causes of randomness

Final exam: do you have probability perspective?

Notes:

Includes index.

ISBN:

0309097371

9780309097376

0309097347

9780309097345

OCLC:

62742569