Struck by Lightning: The Curious World of Probabilities - Softcover

Rosenthal, Jeffrey S.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0309097347 ISBN 13: 9780309097345

Publisher: Joseph Henry Press, 2006

Synopsis

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

About this title

About the Author:

Jeffrey Rosenthal is a professor in the Department of Statistics at the University of Toronto. Rosenthal received is BS in Mathematics, Physics, and Computer Science from the University of Toronto when he was 20 and his PhD in Mathematics from Harvard at 24. He worked as a computer game programmer, a musician, and improvisational comedy performer and has enjoyed flipping coins, rolling dice, and computing probabilities since he was a child.

Review:

“[Jeffrey Rosenthal is] your favorite professor, the one who made a difficult subject easy to understand by illustrating insights with practical examples from the world around us.” (Michael Adams, author of Fire and Ice)

“Writing in funny, easily understandable language aimed at non-mathematicians, [Rosenthal] shows how understanding the odds can give us a better idea of how the world works, and help us make better decisions about our lives.” (The Globe and Mail)

“The kind of entertaining romp, grounded in quotidian anecdotes, that makes you feel a little smarter than you really are.” (Maclean’s)

“Rosenthal is a light-hearted and entertaining writer. He reveals quirky numerical facts that may surprise you.” (Toronto Star)

“Easily the most fun you can have with a statistician in the room.” (National Post)

“Like Freakonomics, Struck by Lightning attacks conventional wisdom. When applied to business, Rosenthal’s book provides an insight into careful decision-making that puts facts ahead of emotions. It’s often a smarter bet to invest in a book that gives you new knowledge over one filled with simple old rules.” (Ottawa Citizen)

“Even for the math challenged among us, Rosenthal makes numbers understandable. Rosenthal’s style is highly readable . . . . Numbers and logic and probability are not topics you’d think could be made lively or entertaining. But the probability that it can be done well by Rosenthal is pretty high.” (Winnipeg Free Press)

“Amaze your friends, confound your rivals. Buy Struck by Lightning and have some fun.” (Calgary Sun)

“Rosenthal writes about his topic with such clarity and warmth that even the fiercest math-phobe will feel welcome.” (Calgary Herald)

“Rosenthal succeeds in bringing mathematical theory to the masses, making it funny, non-apologetically geeky, and highly relevant.” (Quill & Quire)

About this edition

• Publisher: Joseph Henry Press
• Publication date: 2006
• ISBN 10: 0309097347
• ISBN 13: 9780309097345
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 270