Probability: A Very Short Introduction

Description

Making good decisions under conditions of uncertainty requires an appreciation of the way random chance works. In this Very Short Introduction, John Haigh provides a brief account of probability theory; explaining the philosophical approaches, discussing probability distributions, and looking its applications in science and economics.

• Explores ideas of probability and the different philosophical approaches to it
• Provides a brief account of the history of development of probability theory
• Considers the work of some of the big players; from Galileo and Pascal to Bayes, Laplace, Poisson, and Markov
• Discusses a wide range of applications of probability theory in science, economics, and a variety of other contexts
• Part of the bestselling Very Short Introductions series - over five million copies sold worldwide

About the Author(s)

John Haigh, Reader in Statistics, University of Sussex

John Haigh is a mathematics tutor at the University of Sussex and has written many papers on probability. He is the author of three books, including Taking Chances (OUP, 2003).

Table of Contents

1:Fundamentals
2:The workings of probability
3:Historical sketch
4:Chance experiments
5:Making sense of probabilities
6:Games people play
7:Applications in science and operations research
8:Other applications
9:Curiosities and dilemmas
Appendix - Answers to questions posed

Reviews

"An excellent and provocative introduction to a fascinating and underappreciated subject." - Mathematical Gazette