Probability and Statistics: The Science of Uncertainty

Front Cover
Infobase Publishing, May 14, 2014 - Mathematics - 241 pages
Probability and Statistics provides a detailed look at the many aspects of this branch of mathematical investigation. Covering everything from ancient games of chance played around the world and the theories of Fermat and Pascal to phrenology, the specious use of statistics, and statistical methods to stop epidemics, this book offers a comprehensive look at the historical development and uses of probability and statistics. Modern applications of these ideas, the use of probability in modern safety analysis and phone networks, and the use of statistics in epidemiology and actuarial science are also presented in this clearly written and illustrated reference.
 

Contents

The Idea of Randomness
3
The Nature of Chance
15
Surprising Insights Into Probability and Its Uses
45
Randomness in a Deterministic Universe
64
Random Processes
75
Probability as a Mathematical Discipline
87
Three Applications of the Theory of Probability
101
Statistics
111
Data Analysis and the Problem of Precision
130
The Birth of Modern Statistics
136
The Theory of Sampling
150
Three Applications of Statistics
165
Chronology
183
Glossary
200
Further Reading
203
Index
215

The Age of Information
113
The Beginnings of Statistics
115

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