Classic Problems of Probability

Informationen zum Autor PRAKASH GORROOCHURN, PhD, is Assistant Professor in the Department of Biostatistics at Columbia University, where he is also a statistical consultant in the School of Social Work. Dr. Gorroochurn has published extensively in his areas of research interest, which include mathematical population genetics and genetic epidemiology. Klappentext Winner of the 2012 PROSE Award for Mathematics from The American Publishers Awards for Professional and Scholarly Excellence."A great book, one that I will certainly add to my personal library."--Paul J. Nahin, Professor Emeritus of Electrical Engineering, University of New HampshireClassic Problems of Probability presents a lively account of the most intriguing aspects of statistics. The book features a large collection of more than thirty classic probability problems which have been carefully selected for their interesting history, the way they have shaped the field, and their counterintuitive nature.From Cardano's 1564 Games of Chance to Jacob Bernoulli's 1713 Golden Theorem to Parrondo's 1996 Perplexing Paradox, the book clearly outlines the puzzles and problems of probability, interweaving the discussion with rich historical detail and the story of how the mathematicians involved arrived at their solutions. Each problem is given an in-depth treatment, including detailed and rigorous mathematical proofs as needed. Some of the fascinating topics discussed by the author include:* Buffon's Needle problem and its ingenious treatment by Joseph Barbier, culminating into a discussion of invariance* Various paradoxes raised by Joseph Bertrand* Classic problems in decision theory, including Pascal's Wager, Kraitchik's Neckties, and Newcomb's problem* The Bayesian paradigm and various philosophies of probability* Coverage of both elementary and more complex problems, including the Chevalier de Méré problems, Fisher and the lady testing tea, the birthday problem and its various extensions, and the Borel-Kolmogorov paradoxClassic Problems of Probability is an eye-opening, one-of-a-kind reference for researchers and professionals interested in the history of probability and the varied problem-solving strategies employed throughout the ages. The book also serves as an insightful supplement for courses on mathematical probability and introductory probability and statistics at the undergraduate level. Zusammenfassung Providing insight into one of the most fascinating and unique subjects in statistics, this book examines classic problems of probability that have both contributed to the field and have been of historical significance, including Parrondo's Amazing Paradox, Laplace's Rule of Succession, and Jacob Bernoulli and His Golden Theorem. Inhaltsverzeichnis Preface ix Acknowledgments xi 1 Cardano and Games of Chance (1564) 1 2 Galileo and a Discovery Concerning Dice (1620) 9 3 The Chevalier de Méré Problem I: The Problem of Dice (1654) 13 4 The Chevalier de Méré Problem II: The Problem of Points (1654) 20 5 Huygens and the Gambler's Ruin (1657) 39 6 The Pepys-Newton Connection (1693) 49 7 Rencontres with Montmort (1708) 54 8 Jacob Bernoulli and his Golden Theorem (1713) 62 9 De Moivre's Problem (1730) 81 10 De Moivre, Gauss, and the Normal Curve (1730, 1809) 89 11 Daniel Bernoulli and the St. Petersburg Problem (1738) 108 12 d'Alembert and the "Croix ou Pile" Article (1754) 119 13 d'Alembert and the Gambler's Fallacy (1761) 124 14 Bayes, Laplace, and Philosophies of Probability (1764, 1774) 129 15 Leibniz's Error (1768) 156 16 The Buffon Needle Problem (1777) 159 17 Bertrand's Ballot Problem (1887) 169 18 Bertrand's Strange Three Boxes (1889) 175 19 Bertrand's Chords (1889) 179 20 Three Coins and a Puzzle from Galton (1894) 186 21 Lewis Carroll's Pillow Pr...

List of contents

Preface 3
 
Problem 1. Cardano and Games of Chance (1564) 8
 
Problem 2. Gailieo and a Discovery Concerning Dice (1620) 15
 
Problem 3. The Chevalier de Méré Problem I: The Problem of Dice (1654) 17
 
Problem 4. The Chevalier de Méré Problem II: The Problem of Points (1654) 22
 
Problem 5. Huygens and the Gambler's Ruin (1657) 39
 
Problem 6. The Pepys-Newton Connection (1693) 47
 
Problem 7. Rencontres with Montmort (1708) 50
 
Problem 8. Jacob Bernoulli and his Golden Theorem (1713) 54
 
Problem 9. De Moivre's Problem (1730) 71
 
Problem 10. De Moivre, Gauss, and the Normal Curve (1730, 1809) 79
 
Problem 11. Daniel Bernoulli and the St Petersburg Problem (1738) 94
 
Problem 12. D'Alembert and the "Croix ou Pile" Article (1754) 102
 
Problem 13. D'Alembert and the Gambler's Fallacy (1761) 105
 
Problem 14. Bayes, Laplace, and Philosophies of Probability (1764, 1774) 109
 
Problem 15. Leibniz's Error (1768) 132
 
Problem 16. The Buffon Needle Problem (1777) 134
 
Problem 17. Bertrand's Ballot Problem (1887) 143
 
Problem 18. Bertrand's Strange Three Boxes (1889) 147
 
Problem 19. Bertrand's Chords (1889) 151
 
Problem 20. Three Coins and a Puzzle from Galton (1894) 156
 
Problem 21. Lewis Carroll's Pillow Problem No. 72 (1894) 157
 
Problem 22. Borel and A Different Kind of Normality (1909) 161
 
Problem 23. Borel's Paradox and Kolmogorov's Axioms (1909, 1933) 165
 
Problem 24. Of Borel, Monkeys, and the New Creationism (1913) 173
 
Problem 25. Kraitchik's Neckties and Newcomb's Problem (1930, 1960)
 
Problem 26. Fisher and the lady Tasting Tea (1935) 188
 
Problem 27. Benford and the Peculiar Behavior of the First Significant Digit (1938) 195
 
Problem 28. Coinciding Birthdays (1939) 200
 
Problem 29. Lévy and the Arc Sine Law (1939) 206
 
Problem 30. Simpson's Paradox (1951) 210
 
Problem 31. Gamow, Stern, and Elevators (1958) 215
 
Problem 32. Monty-Hall, Cars, and Goats (1975) 218
 
Problem 33. Parrondo's Perplexing Paradox (1996) 224
 
Bibliography 230
 
Photo Credits 254

Report

"Thus, the book can be highly recommend to every lecturer in this field and every student interested in probability and statistics." ( Zentralblatt Math , 1 September 2013)

Product details

• Authors: P Gorroochurn, Prakash Gorroochurn, Gorroochurn Prakash
• Publisher: Wiley, John and Sons Ltd
• Languages: English
• Product format: Paperback / Softback
• Released: 27.07.2012
• EAN: 9781118063255
• ISBN: 978-1-118-06325-5
• No. of pages: 336
• Subjects: Natural sciences, medicine, IT, technology > Mathematics > Probability theory, stochastic theory, mathematical statistics; Statistik, Geschichte, Wahrscheinlichkeitsrechnung, History, Statistics, Spezialthemen Geschichte, History Special Topics, Angewandte Wahrscheinlichkeitsrechnung u. Statistik, Applied Probability & Statistics, Geschichte der Statistik, History of Statistics