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Fluke Joseph Mazur

Fluke By Joseph Mazur

Fluke by Joseph Mazur


$10.00
Condition - Very Good
Out of stock

Summary

Discover why the odds are better than you'd think in this mathematical tribute to the great coincidences of life

Fluke Summary

Fluke: The Maths and Myths of Coincidences by Joseph Mazur

What are the chances?! This exclamation greets the scarcely believable coincidence - you're picked up by the same taxi driver several years and thousands of miles apart or, in a second-hand bookshop far from home, you find your own childhood copy of Winnie-the-Pooh on the shelf. But the unlikely is more probable than you think. Against every fibre of common sense, the fact is that it's quite likely that some squirrel, somewhere, will be struck by lightning as it crosses the road.

The chaos and unpredictability of our lives is an illusion. There is a rational order to the universe, and it's called mathematics. Fluke is a fascinating investigation into the true nature of chance, a must-read for maths enthusiasts and avid storytellers alike, it tears down the veil of improbability to reveal the wonderfully possible.

Fluke Reviews

`Delightfully written.' * E&T Magazine *
'[An] entirely delightful slice of popular science...I'm no mathematician, and I was both fascinated and enchanted'. -- Alison Flood * Bookseller *
`Mazur uses probability to strip chance events of some of their mystery.' * Guardian *
`Always entertaining and frequently insightful, Fluke is never less than thought-provoking.' * Amir Alexander, Wall Street Journal *
`With charm and clarity, Joe Mazur leads us through the strange terrain of chance and surprise... A terrific read, and a welcome antidote to superstition and gullibility.' -- Ian Stewart, author of Professor Stewart's Incredible Numbers
`The chances are very slim that you'd ever read this blurb. A simple-minded calculation puts the odds at about 50,000 to one against. Yet... here you are. How weird is this seemingly far-fetched coincidence? Well, dear reader, you've picked up the right book to answer that question.' -- Charles Seife, author of Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea
`Joe Mazur's Fluke walks the reader, hand in steady hand, through the weird and dangerous landscape of extreme probability, distinguishing cause from correlate, and phenomenon from mere coincidence.' -- Jordan Ellenberg, author of How Not To Be Wrong: The Power of Mathematical Thinking
`An exciting addition to the ranks of books exploring the mysteries of chance and coincidence in the vein of The Black Swan and The Improbability Principle.' -- David J. Hand, Emeritus Professor of Mathematics at Imperial College London and author of The Improbability Principle

About Joseph Mazur

Joseph Mazur is Emeritus Professor of Mathematics at Marlboro College in Vermont. He is the author of four popular mathematics books, including Euclid in the Rainforest: Discovering Universal Truth in Logic and Math which was number four on The Guardian's Top 10 Popular Mathematics Books of All Time.

Additional information

GOR007745874
9781780748993
178074899X
Fluke: The Maths and Myths of Coincidences by Joseph Mazur
Used - Very Good
Paperback
Oneworld Publications
2016-06-02
288
N/A
Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.
This is a used book - there is no escaping the fact it has been read by someone else and it will show signs of wear and previous use. Overall we expect it to be in very good condition, but if you are not entirely satisfied please get in touch with us

Customer Reviews - Fluke