Fifty Challenging Problems in Probability with Solutions (Dover Books on Mathematics)
by Frederick Mosteller
Springer Series in Statistics
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Can you solve the problem of "The Unfair Subway"? Marvin gets off work at random times between 3 and 5 p.m. His mother lives uptown, his girlfriend downtown. He takes the first subway that comes in either direction and eats dinner with the one he is delivered to. His mother complains that he never comes to see her, but he says she has a 50-50 chance. He has had dinner with her twice in the last 20 working days. Explain. Marvin's adventures in probability are one of the fifty intriguing show more puzzles that illustrate both elementary ad advanced aspects of probability, each problem designed to challenge the mathematically inclined. From "The Flippant Juror" and "The Prisoner's Dilemma" to "The Cliffhanger" and "The Clumsy Chemist," they provide an ideal supplement for all who enjoy the stimulating fun of mathematics. Professor Frederick Mosteller, who teaches statistics at Harvard University, has chosen the problems for originality, general interest, or because they demonstrate valuable techniques. In addition, the problems are graded as to difficulty and many have considerable stature. Indeed, one has "enlivened the research lives of many excellent mathematicians." Detailed solutions are included. There is every probability you'll need at least a few of them. show lessTags
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Member Reviews
15 years after ending my computer science and mathematical studies, I thought it was time for me to try out this little booklet. I think I made a good start, but soon enough the challenges became too hard for me to solve unguided. :-) Still, it served as a good reminder that statistics are not at all intuitive, which is especially useful to know in this day and age of big data (and COVID-19 related statistics all over the news).
The solutions were always clear enough however and the collection had no problem whatsoever keeping my interest level high. The reason I'm not 100% sure this publication deserves more stars is that, even though maths never gets old, the problems used to frame the maths do feel quite out of place in the 21st century.
The solutions were always clear enough however and the collection had no problem whatsoever keeping my interest level high. The reason I'm not 100% sure this publication deserves more stars is that, even though maths never gets old, the problems used to frame the maths do feel quite out of place in the 21st century.
Mostly straight-forward questions. Some solutions are merely discussions instead of rigorous proofs. Concluding problems are, let's just say, a bitch.
A very nice complementary problem book to any probability and statistics text.
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Statistics
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