Fluke: The Math and Myth of Coincidence
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | 4.55 (515 Votes) |
| Asin | : | B01F7U27X0 |
| Format Type | : | |
| Number of Pages | : | 263 Pages |
| Publish Date | : | 2014-12-13 |
| Language | : | English |
DESCRIPTION:
He has written a book that will appeal to anyone who has ever wondered how all of the tiny decisions that happen in our lives add up to improbable wholes. A must-listen for math enthusiasts and storytellers alike, Fluke helps us to understand the true nature of chance.. He takes us on a tour of the mathematical concepts of probability, such as the law of large numbers and the birthday paradox, and combines these concepts with lively anecdotes of flukes from around the world. In Fluke, Mazur offers us proof of the inevitability of the sublime and the unexpected. How do you explain finding your college copy of Moby Dick in a used bookstore on the Seine on your first visit to Paris? How can a jury be convinced beyond a reasonable doubt that DNA found at the scene of a heinous crime did not get there by some fluke? Should we be surprised if strangers named Maria and Francisco, seeking each other in a hotel lobby, accidentally meet the wrong Francisco and the wrong Maria, another pair of strangers also looking for each other? As Mazur reveals, if there is any likelihood that something could happen, no matter how small, it is bound to happen to someone at some time. In Fluke, mathematician Joseph Mazur takes a second look at the seemingly improbable, sharing with us
"Parts of it are interesting" according to David J. Aldous. The “math and myth" subtitle is intriguing, but the book is somewhat disappointing. One part discusses the basic math of probability theory, and another part covers probability-related topics (DNA forensics, chance scientific discoveries, ESP experiments, stock markets), but all this has been discussed in many other "popular science" books. The "myth" part discusses Sir Gawain and the Green Knight and other fic. "I have to wonder if some of the reviewers actually read the book." according to Ken Blakely. I have to wonder if some of the reviewers actually read the book. Fluke contains four distinct sections: One: describe a series of specific coincidences; Two: describe the basic math behind calculating probability; Three: deconstruct each of the coincidences in section One and attempt to calculate the actual probability of their occurrence, using the tools in section Two; and Four: a wildly disconnected set of meande. Kenneth Veit said Good explanation of the seemingly imporrible. Loved it, because I have had so many similar experiences during the years when I was traveling the world (e.g, running into a man in Singapore whom I had only met the previous week in Chile).As an actuary, I used similar methods to Mazur's to determine that for frequent international travelers the probability of such "Oh my God!" encounters was 50% per year.My most bizarre occurrence was when I mistakenly took someon