Basic Books
Fluke: The Math and Myth of Coincidence
Key Metrics
- Joseph Mazur
- Basic Books
- Hardcover
- 9780465060955
- 8.3 X 5.7 X 1.2 inches
- 0.9 pounds
- Mathematics > Probability & Statistics - General
- English
Secure TransactionBook Description
What are the chances? This is the question we ask ourselves when we encounter the strangest and most seemingly impossible coincidences, like the woman who won the lottery four times or the fact that Lincoln's dreams foreshadowed his own assassination. But, when we look at coincidences mathematically, the odds are a lot better than any of us would have thought.
In Fluke, mathematician Joseph Mazur takes a second look at the seemingly improbable, sharing with us an entertaining guide to the most surprising moments in our lives. He takes us on a tour of the mathematical concepts of probability, such as the law of large numbers and the birthday paradox, and combines these concepts with lively anecdotes of flukes from around the world. How do you explain finding your college copy of Moby Dick in a used bookstore on the Seine on your first visit to Paris? How can a jury be convinced beyond a reasonable doubt that DNA found at the scene of a heinous crime did not get there by some fluke? Should we be surprised if strangers named Maria and Francisco, seeking each other in a hotel lobby, accidentally meet the wrong Francisco and the wrong Maria, another pair of strangers also looking for each other? As Mazur reveals, if there is any likelihood that something could happen, no matter how small, it is bound to happen to someone at some time.
In Fluke, Mazur offers us proof of the inevitability of the sublime and the unexpected. He has written a book that will appeal to anyone who has ever wondered how all of the tiny decisions that happen in our lives add up to improbable wholes. A must-read for math enthusiasts and storytellers alike, Fluke helps us to understand the true nature of chance.
Author Bio
Joseph Mazur, Ph.D., is Professor Emeritus of Mathematics at Marlboro College. He holds a Ph.D. in Mathematics from M.I.T. and is a recipient of fellowships from the Guggenheim, Bogliasco, and Rockefeller Foundations, among others. His work has appeared in Nature, The New York Times, The Guardian, The Wall Street Journal, Slate, Science, and many other publications.
He is the author of Euclid in the Rainforest: Discovering Universal Truth in Mathematics; The Motion Paradox: The 2,500-Year Old Puzzle Behind All the Mysteries of Time and Space; What’s Luck Got to Do with It? The History, Mathematics, and Psychology behind the Gambler’s Illusion; Enlightening Symbols: A Short History of Mathematical Notation and Its Hidden Powers; and Fluke: The Math and Myth of Coincidence. His latest book is The Clock Mirage: Our Myth of Measured Time.
Source: josephmazur.com
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