Everyday Probability and Statistics

Health, Elections, Gambling and War

Probability and statistics impinge on the life of the average person in a variety of ways — as is suggested by the title of this book. Very often, information is provided that is factually accurate but intended to present a biased view. This book presents the important results of probability and statistics without making heavy mathematical demands on the reader. It should enable an intelligent reader to properly assess statistical information and to understand that the same information can be presented in different ways.

Contents:

• The Nature of Probability
• Combining Probabilities
• A Day at the Races
• Making Choices and Selections
• Non-Intuitive Examples of Probability
• Probability and Health
• Combining Probabilities, The Craps Game Revealed
• The UK National Lottery, Loaded Dice and Crooked Wheels
• Block Diagrams
• The Normal (or Gaussian) Distribution
• Statistics — The Collection and Analysis of Numerical Data
• The Poisson Distribution and Death by Horse Kicks
• Predicting Voting Patterns
• Taking Samples — How Many Fish in the Pond?
• Differences — Rats and IQs
• Crime is Increasing and Decreasing
• My Uncle Joe Smoked 60 a Day
• Chance, Luck and Making Decisions

Readership: Undergraduate students in mathematics; general public interested in probability and statistics.
Key Features:

• Serves as a motivating text for non-mathematical students who require an understanding of probability and statistics, while also suitable for popular consumption
• Provides problems and worked-out solutions so that readers can test their newly-acquired knowledge