Will You Be Alive 10 Years from Now? (eBook)

And Numerous Other Curious Questions in Probability

Paul Nahin (Autor)

eBook Download: PDF | EPUB

2013
256 Seiten
Princeton University Press (Verlag)
978-1-4008-4837-9 (ISBN)

Infos

NahinPaul J.:

Paul J. Nahin is professor emeritus of electrical engineering at the University of New Hampshire. He is the best-selling author of many popular-math books, including Duelling Idiots and Other Probability Puzzlers, The Logician and the Engineer, Number-Crunching, Mrs. Perkins's Electric Quilt, and An Imaginary Tale (all Princeton).Paul J. Nahin is professor emeritus of electrical engineering at the University of New Hampshire. He is the best-selling author of many popular-math books, including Duelling Idiots and Other Probability Puzzlers, The Logician and the Engineer, Number-Crunching, Mrs. Perkins's Electric Quilt, and An Imaginary Tale (all Princeton).

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A collection of stimulating probability puzzles from bestselling math writer Paul NahinWhat are the chances of a game-show contestant finding a chicken in a box? Is the Hanukkah dreidel a fair game? Will you be alive ten years from now? These are just some of the one-of-a-kind probability puzzles that acclaimed popular math writer Paul Nahin offers in this lively and informative book.Nahin brings probability to life with colorful and amusing historical anecdotes as well as an electrifying approach to solving puzzles that illustrates many of the techniques that mathematicians and scientists use to grapple with probability. He looks at classic puzzles from the past--from Galileo's dice-tossing problem to a disarming dice puzzle that would have astonished even Newton-and also includes a dozen challenge problems for you to tackle yourself, with complete solutions provided in the back of the book.Nahin then presents twenty-five unusual probability puzzlers that you aren't likely to find anywhere else, and which range in difficulty from ones that are easy but clever to others that are technically intricate. Each problem is accompanied by an entertaining discussion of its background and solution, and is backed up by theory and computer simulations whenever possible in order to show how theory and computer experimentation can often work together on probability questions. All the MATLAB(R) Monte Carlo simulation codes needed to solve the problems computationally are included in the book. With his characteristic wit, audacity, and insight, Nahin demonstrates why seemingly simple probability problems can stump even the experts.

Produkt-Details

• Erscheint lt. Verlag: 24.11.2013
• Zusatzinfo: 28 line illus. 22 tables.
• Verlagsort: Princeton
• Sprache: englisch
• Themenwelt: Mathematik / Informatik ► Mathematik ► Mathematische Spiele und Unterhaltung
• Themenwelt: Mathematik / Informatik ► Mathematik ► Statistik
• Themenwelt: Technik
• Schlagworte: Acute and obtuse triangles • Addition • Almost surely • Approximation • Ars Conjectandi • ballot • Bernoulli trial • Binomial coefficient • birthday problem • Calculation • Cartesian coordinate system • Chain letter • chromosome • circumference • coincidence • computer simulation • Conditional probability • Convergence of random variables • coordinate system • Counting • counting process • Differential (infinitesimal) • Distribution Function • Elementary algebra • Elementary mathematics • Equation • equilateral triangle • error • Errors and residuals • estimation • expected value • exponential distribution • Fair coin • False positives and false negatives • Finite-state machine • Follow-up • Geometry • Gerolamo Cardano • Goofy • Harmonic series (mathematics) • Hugo Steinhaus • Idiot • Illustration • Independence (probability theory) • Independent and identically distributed random variables • Integer • integral equation • Intellect • Joint probability distribution • length • Life Expectancy • logical reasoning • Marilyn vos Savant • Marjorie • mathematician • Mathematics • Mathworks • MATLAB • Monte Carlo Method • multiple Integral • Natural number • Newcomb's paradox • Outcome (probability) • Paul J. Nahin • Philosopher • Polar coordinate system • Prediction • Princeton University Press • Probability • Probability density function • Probability Distribution • Probability Theory • Quantity • randomness • Random Number • random number generation • random sequence • Random Variable • reason • result • Robbery • Sample space • Simpson's paradox • Simulation • Special case • statistical significance • Subset • Summation • Textbook • The Mathematical Gazette • theory • Thomas Bayes • Triangle Inequality • Trigonometry • Unit square • Variable (mathematics) • Vector clock • Wart • While loop • year
• ISBN-10: 1-4008-4837-7 / 1400848377
• ISBN-13: 978-1-4008-4837-9 / 9781400848379