MTU Cork Library Catalogue

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Taking chances : winning with probability / John Haigh.

By: Haigh, John, Dr.
Material type: materialTypeLabelBookPublisher: Oxford : Oxford University Press, c1999Description: xiv, 330 p. : ill. ; 23 cm. + pbk.ISBN: 0198502923.Subject(s): Probabilities -- Popular worksDDC classification: 519.2
Contents:
What is probability? -- Lotteries -- Football pools, premium bonds -- One coin, many games -- Dice -- Games with few choices -- Waiting, waiting, waiting -- Let's play best of three -- TV games -- Casino games -- Bookies, the tote, spread betting -- This sporting life -- Lucky for some-miscellanea.
Holdings
Item type Current library Call number Copy number Status Date due Barcode Item holds
General Lending MTU Bishopstown Library Lending 519.2 (Browse shelf(Opens below)) 1 Available 00075458
Total holds: 0

Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

What are the odds against winning the Lottery, making money in a casino, or backing the right horse. Every day, people make judgements on these matters and face other decisions that rest on their understanding of probability: buying insurance, following medical advice, carrying an umbrella. Yet many of us have a frightening ignorance of how probability works. Taking Chances presents an entertaining and fascinating exploration of probability, revealing traps and fallacies in the field. It describes and analyses a remarkable variety of situations where chance plays a role, including football pools, the Lottery, TV games, sport, cards, roulette, coins, and dice. The book guides the reader round common pitfalls, demonstrates how to make better informed decisions, and shows where the odds can be unexpectedly in your favour.

Includes bibliographical references (pages 324-326) and index.

What is probability? -- Lotteries -- Football pools, premium bonds -- One coin, many games -- Dice -- Games with few choices -- Waiting, waiting, waiting -- Let's play best of three -- TV games -- Casino games -- Bookies, the tote, spread betting -- This sporting life -- Lucky for some-miscellanea.

Table of contents provided by Syndetics

  • What is probability
  • The National Lottery
  • Football Pools
  • Premium Bonds
  • Dice
  • Coins
  • Roulette
  • Matrix games
  • Matching Problems
  • TV shows
  • Benford's Law
  • Best of n
  • Card games
  • Bookies, the Tote, Spread betting
  • Miscellaneous applications in sport
  • Appendices

Reviews provided by Syndetics

CHOICE Review

Haigh (Univ. of Sussex, UK) offers a very interesting and entertaining book on probability and taking chances; he gives the layperson the opportunity to take a closer look at such things as roulette, the lottery, football pools, and other games of chance. Since many things in everyday life revolve around probabilities and likelihood, the author explains some of the basic notions of probability that might broaden the average person's appreciation of this important topic. The book does not require a sophisticated understanding of mathematics or statistics and is therefore mathematically accessible to all. There are 13 chapters, each of which has a common theme; for example, some chapter coverage includes football pools, dice, lotteries, English television games, casino games, and English sports. There are five appendixes that offer more mathematical depth if the reader is so inclined, as well as self-test quizzes with solutions. Recommended for general readers. D. J. Gougeon; University of Scranton

Author notes provided by Syndetics

John Haigh is Reader in Mathematics and Statistics at the University of Sussex.

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