From terrorist attacks to big money jackpots, Struck by Lightning deconstructs the odds and oddities of chance, examining both the relevant and irreverent role of randomness in our everyday lives. 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. We are inexplicably delighted by strange coincidences and striking similarities. But we also hate ...
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From terrorist attacks to big money jackpots, Struck by Lightning deconstructs the odds and oddities of chance, examining both the relevant and irreverent role of randomness in our everyday lives. 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. We are inexplicably delighted by strange coincidences and striking similarities. But we also hate uncertainty's dark side. From cancer to SARS, diseases strike with no apparent pattern. Terrorists attack, airplanes crash, bridges collapse, and we never know if we'll be that one in a million statistic. We are all constantly faced with situations and choices that involve randomness and uncertainty. A basic understanding of the rules of probability theory, applied to real-life circumstances, can help us to make sense of these situations, to avoid unnecessary fear, to seize the opportunities that randomness presents to us, and to actually enjoy the uncertainties we face. 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. Table of Contents Front Matter 1 Surrounded by Randomness: Probabilities Everywhere 2 What Are the Odds of That? Coincidence and Surprise 3 Laying Down the Law: Why Casinos Always Win 4 Dealing the Cards: Bridge, Poker, and Blackjack 5 Murder Most Foul: Measuring Trends 6 Utility Functions:How to Make Decisions 7 White Lab Coats: What Studies Do and Don't Show 8 Ain't Gonna Happen: Very Low Probabilities 9 Interlude: The Case of the Collapsing Casino 10 Fifty-one Percent to Forty-nine Percent: The True Meaning of Polls 11 Nineteen Times Out of Twenty: Margins of Error 12 Randomness to the Rescue: When Uncertainty Is Your Friend 13 Evolution, Genes, and Viruses:Randomness in Biology 14 That Wily Monty Hall:Finding Probabilities from Clues 15 Spam,Spam,Probability, and Spam: Blocking Unwanted E-mail 16 Ignorance,Chaos,and Quantum Mechanics:Causes of Randomness 17 Final Exam: Do You Have Probability Perspective? Acknowledgments About the Author Index
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Add this copy of Struck By Lightning: the Curious World of Probabilities to cart. $9.58, very good condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Atlanta rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Austell, GA, UNITED STATES, published 2006 by Joseph Henry Press.
Add this copy of Struck By Lightning: the Curious World of Probabilities to cart. $9.58, very good condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Reno rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Reno, NV, UNITED STATES, published 2006 by Joseph Henry Press.
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Add this copy of Struck By Lightning: the Curious World of Probabilities to cart. $9.58, good condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Reno rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Reno, NV, UNITED STATES, published 2006 by Joseph Henry Press.
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Add this copy of Struck By Lightning: the Curious World of Probabilities to cart. $9.58, fair condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Atlanta rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Austell, GA, UNITED STATES, published 2006 by Joseph Henry Press.
Add this copy of Struck By Lightning: the Curious World of Probabilities to cart. $9.58, fair condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Baltimore rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Halethorpe, MD, UNITED STATES, published 2006 by Joseph Henry Press.
Add this copy of Struck By Lightning: the Curious World of Probabilities to cart. $11.00, very good condition, Sold by HPB Inc. rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Dallas, TX, UNITED STATES, published 2006 by Joseph Henry Press.
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Add this copy of Struck By Lightning: the Curious World of Probabilities to cart. $12.22, good condition, Sold by Coas Books, Inc. rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Las Cruces, NM, UNITED STATES, published 2006 by Joseph Henry Press.
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Fair. Reading copy. May have signs of wear and previous use scuffs library copy highlighting writing and underlining. Dust jacket may be missing. 100% GUARANTEE! Shipped with delivery confirmation if you're not satisfied with purchase. Ships USPS Media Mail.
