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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Nahin, Paul J.
Will you be alive 10 years from now? : and numerous other curious questions in probability : a collection of not so well-known mathematical mind-benders (with solutions, with one exception) / Paul J. Nahin.
pages cm
Summary: “What are the chances of a game-show contestant finding a chicken in a box? Is the Hanukkah dreidel a fair game? Will you be alive ten years from now? These are just some of the one-of-a-kind probability puzzles that acclaimed popular math writer Paul Nahin offers in this lively and informative book. Nahin brings probability to life with colorful and amusing historical anecdotes as well as an electrifying approach to solving puzzles that illustrates many of the techniques that mathematicians and scientists use to grapple with probability. He looks at classic puzzles from the past—from Galileo’s dice-tossing problem to a disarming dice puzzle that would have astonished even Newton—and also includes a dozen challenge problems for you to tackle yourself, with complete solutions provided in the back of the book. Nahin then presents twenty-five unusual probability puzzlers that you aren’t likely to find anywhere else, and which range in difficulty from ones that are easy but clever to others that are technically intricate. Each problem is accompanied by an entertaining discussion of its background and solution, and is backed up by theory and computer simulations whenever possible in order to show how theory and computer experimentation can often work together on probability questions. All the MATLAB Monte Carlo simulation codes needed to solve the problems computationally are included in the book. With his characteristic wit, audacity, and insight, Nahin demonstrates why seemingly simple probability problems can stump even the experts.”—Provided by publisher.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-0-691-15680-4 (hardback)
1. Probabilities—Problems, exercises, etc. I. Title.
QA273.25.N344 2014
519.2—dc23 2013010221
British Library Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available
This book has been composed in ITC New Baskerville
Printed on acid-free paper. ∞
Printed in the United States of America
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