Product Details
Lady Luck: The Theory of Probability (Science Study Series.)

Lady Luck: The Theory of Probability (Science Study Series.)
By Warren Weaver

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Product Description

Everyday questions such as "Should I take my umbrella?" involve probability, a topic important in daily life and in science. This witty, nontechnical introduction to the subject elucidates such concepts as permutations, independent events, mathematical expectation, the law of averages and more. No advanced math required. 49 drawings.

Product Details

  • Amazon Sales Rank: #681197 in Books
  • Published on: 1982-08-01
  • Original language: English
  • Number of items: 1
  • Binding: Paperback
  • 384 pages

Customer Reviews

The best introduction you can get5
It's simple but not at all 'dumbed down'. It's clear. It's very readable. The math is not out of control so the material is very accessible for non-technical readers. You will get a good intuitive feel for probability; not many books privide that. What more could you want? If more mathematical rigor is required get Feller's book or take Weaver's advice on page 102-103.

A true classic4
A classic. What it does, it does extremely well, though the tone of 1950s restrained earnestness may not resonate with the Jon Stewart generation. Has a leisurely, careful but not pedantic, verbal development of the basic mathematics of probability (expectation, binomial and Normal distributions, law of large numbers and central limit theorem, statistical sampling) plus the classic stories (birthday paradox, coincidence anecdotes, Poisson's "cavalry deaths by horse kicks" data). In other words it picks out the interesting parts of a freshman college course. Readers in the Jon Stewart generation might prefer Struck by Lightning: The Curious World of Probabilities.

delightful5
A pleasant and insightful read. I finally understand Bayes theorem now in a practical sense. The idea of calling the chapter exercises 'puzzles' rather than 'problems' or 'exercises' is a good one - more math authors should adopt this convention I think.