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What`s Luck Got to Do with It? – The History, Mathematics, and

What`s Luck Got to Do with It? – The History, Mathematics, and Psychology of the Gambler`s Illusion Hardback - 2010

by Mazur, Joseph

  • Used
  • very good
  • Hardcover

Mathematician Mazur traces the history of gambling from the earliest known archaeological evidence of dice-playing among Neolithic peoples to the first systematic mathematical games of change during the Renaissance, and explains the mathematics behind gambling--including the laws of probability, statistics, and betting against expectations. Photos.

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Hardback. Very Good.
Used - Very Good
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From the rear cover

"Mazur's book treats luck in a fresh light. The philosophy and emotional aspects (along with a little mathematics) are all there. The reader who delves in will be lucky indeed."--Persi Diaconis, Stanford University

"Blending math with memoir, probability with psychology, and heuristics with history, Mazur has written an essential book for anyone who wants to get a better idea of why we consistently bet against the odds. From the betting window to Wall Street, he offers insights into both the mechanics of chance and the enduring appeal that luck holds for those who wager every day, whether they call it gambling, speculation, or just hoping for the best. Engaging and illuminating, this is a guaranteed winner."--David G. Schwartz, director of the Center for Gaming Research at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, and author of Roll the Bones: The History of Gambling

"This is a fascinating book. It's a fresh, funny, philosophical look at gambling by a mathematician who knows what he's talking about, and who has quite obviously thought about gambling for a long time. Mazur isn't afraid to make provocative, opinionated statements. I have not seen a gambling book like this before. I think it will attract a lot of readers."--Paul J. Nahin, author of Digital Dice

"This book is significant in that it offers a lively and diverse collection of gambling-related ideas. Mazur's robust blend of anecdotes, history, psychology, and mathematics differs from other attempts to discuss these ideas. He offers plenty of insights into the questions and issues he raises."--Edward Packel, author of The Mathematics of Games and Gambling

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Citations

  • Choice, 01/01/2011, Page 0

About the author

Joseph Mazur is professor emeritus of mathematics at Marlboro College. His books include The Motion Paradox: The 2,500-Year-Old Puzzle behind All the Mysteries of Time and Space and Euclid in the Rainforest: Discovering Universal Truth in Logic and Math.