What Are The Odds?: Chance In Everyday Life

by Mike Orkin

An introduction to how chance works and the role it plays in everyday life discusses the chances of winning the lottery, the potential of making a living as a gambler, and the possibility of the universe as a predictable machine.

Genres: Science, Mathematics, Nonfiction

160 pages, Paperback

First published January 10, 2000

Reviews

[Long Nguyen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm a nerd for stats, and any book that helps my understanding is going to get praised. This one also has the benefit of being very accessible to most people. The last chapter also gives you a snapshot of stats in real life, and what a 99.99% success rate can mean when real lives are at stake. And sometimes, that's not always a good thing...

[Fee · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you ever go to Vegas, read this book on the way. It will tell you the only game worth playing is 21. It has the closest 50:50 odds. The rest of the games like roulette and video poker are charity games. Give me 300 dollars now that I gave you the tip.

[Robert · Rating 4 out of 5]

Math for non-Mathematicians - simple and straighforward