Chance: A Guide to Gambling, Love, the Stock Market & Just About Everything Else

Be the first to write a review
Pick Up In Store

Pick Up in Store

Reserve and pick up in 60 minutes at your local store

Paperback (First Trade Paper Edition)
$11.82
BN.com price
$13.95 List Price (Save 15%)
Marketplace (New and Used)
from
$0.20
$13.95 List Price (Save 99%)
Usually ships in 1-2 business days
All (20)  
Used (13)  
New (7)  
Close
Sort by
Page 1 of 2
Showing 1 – 10 of 20 (2 pages)
$0.20
(Save 99%)
Better World Books
Seller since 2006

Feedback rating:

(50875)

Condition:

New — never opened or used in original packaging.

Like New — packaging may have been opened. A "Like New" item is suitable to give as a gift.

Very Good — may have minor signs of wear on packaging but item works perfectly and has no damage.

Good — item is in good condition but packaging may have signs of shelf wear/aging or torn packaging. All specific defects should be noted in the Comments section associated with each item.

Acceptable — item is in working order but may show signs of wear such as scratches or torn packaging. All specific defects should be noted in the Comments section associated with each item.

Used — An item that has been opened and may show signs of wear. All specific defects should be noted in the Comments section associated with each item.

Refurbished — A used item that has been renewed or updated and verified to be in proper working condition. Not necessarily completed by the original manufacturer.

Good
Former Library book. Shows some signs of wear, and may have some markings on the inside. 100% Money Back Guarantee. Shipped to over one million happy customers. Your purchase ... benefits world literacy! Read more Show Less

Ships from: Mishawaka, IN

Usually ships in 1-2 business days

  • •Canadian
  • •International
  • •Standard, 48 States
  • •Standard (AK, HI)
  • •Express, 48 States
  • •Express (AK, HI)
$0.99
(Save 93%)
Big River Books
Seller since 2010

Feedback rating:

(1377)

Condition: Good
2005 Paperback Good Cover and pages may have some wear or writing. Binding is tight. We ship daily Monday-Friday.

Ships from: Powder Springs, GA

Usually ships in 1-2 business days

  • •Canadian
  • •International
  • •Standard, 48 States
  • •Standard (AK, HI)
  • •Express, 48 States
  • •Express (AK, HI)
$1.10
(Save 92%)
Friends of the Phoenix Library
Seller since 2009

Feedback rating:

(540)

Condition: Good
2005 Paperback Good 100% of this purchase will support literacy programs through a nonprofit organization!

Ships from: Phoenix, AZ

Usually ships in 1-2 business days

  • •Canadian
  • •International
  • •Standard, 48 States
  • •Standard (AK, HI)
  • •Express, 48 States
  • •Express (AK, HI)
$1.97
(Save 86%)
GIANTBOOKSALE
Seller since 2008

Feedback rating:

(3634)

Condition: New
1560257946 SHIPS TODAY!! GREAT BOOK!!

Ships from: BAY SHORE, NY

Usually ships in 1-2 business days

  • •Canadian
  • •International
  • •Standard, 48 States
  • •Standard (AK, HI)
  • •Express, 48 States
  • •Express (AK, HI)
$1.98
(Save 86%)
whypaymorebooks? NY
Seller since 2005

Feedback rating:

(1449)

Condition: New
12/21/2005 Paperback New 1560257946 UNUSED COPY! MAY CONTAIN SHELFWARE, SHIPS TODAY!

Ships from: Lindenhurst, NY

Usually ships in 1-2 business days

  • •Canadian
  • •International
  • •Standard, 48 States
  • •Standard (AK, HI)
  • •Express, 48 States
  • •Express (AK, HI)
$1.99
(Save 86%)
BookBuyers Online1 CA
Seller since 2007

Feedback rating:

(2393)

Condition: New
2005 Paperback New -May have label on cover and/or remainder mark.

Ships from: San Jose, CA

Usually ships in 1-2 business days

  • •Canadian
  • •International
  • •Standard, 48 States
  • •Standard (AK, HI)
  • •Express, 48 States
  • •Express (AK, HI)
$1.99
(Save 86%)
RightChoiceBooks!
Seller since 2008

Feedback rating:

(1773)

Condition: New
1560257946 UNUSED COPY! MAY CONTAIN SHELFWARE, SHIPS TODAY!

Ships from: Plainview, NY

Usually ships in 1-2 business days

  • •Standard, 48 States
  • •Standard (AK, HI)
  • •Express, 48 States
  • •Express (AK, HI)
$1.99
(Save 86%)
Free State Books
Seller since 2012

Feedback rating:

(1000)

Condition: Acceptable
Free State Books. Never settle for less.

Ships from: Halethorpe, MD

Usually ships in 1-2 business days

  • •Canadian
  • •International
  • •Standard, 48 States
  • •Standard (AK, HI)
  • •Express, 48 States
  • •Express (AK, HI)
$1.99
(Save 86%)
Hall Street Books
Seller since 2012

Feedback rating:

(146)

Condition: Good
2005 - Paperback - - - - Used - Good - - - -

Ships from: Brooklyn, NY

Usually ships in 1-2 business days

  • •Canadian
  • •International
  • •Standard, 48 States
  • •Standard (AK, HI)
  • •Express, 48 States
  • •Express (AK, HI)
$3.00
(Save 78%)
Midtown Scholar Bookstore PA
Seller since 2005

Feedback rating:

(7060)

Condition: Very Good
12-21-05 Paperback VERY GOOD Crisp, clean, unread paperback with light shelfwear to the covers and a publisher's mark to one edge-Nice! 0.4 lbs.

Ships from: Harrisburg, PA

Usually ships in 1-2 business days

  • •Canadian
  • •International
  • •Standard, 48 States
  • •Standard (AK, HI)
  • •Express, 48 States
  • •Express (AK, HI)
Page 1 of 2
Showing 1 – 10 of 20 (2 pages)
Close
Sort by

Overview

In Chance, celebrated mathematician Amir D. Aczel turns his sights on probability theory—the branch of mathematics that measures the likelihood of a random event. He explains probability in clear, layman's terms, and shows its practical applications. What is commonly called luck has mathematical roots and in Chance, you'll learn to increase your odds of success in everything from true love to the stock market. For thousands of years, the twin forces of chance and mischance have beguiled humanity like none other. Why does fortune smile on some people, and smirk on others? What is luck, and why does it so often visit the undeserving? How can we predict the random events happening around us?...

See more details below
Sending request ...

More About This Book

Overview

In Chance, celebrated mathematician Amir D. Aczel turns his sights on probability theory—the branch of mathematics that measures the likelihood of a random event. He explains probability in clear, layman's terms, and shows its practical applications. What is commonly called luck has mathematical roots and in Chance, you'll learn to increase your odds of success in everything from true love to the stock market. For thousands of years, the twin forces of chance and mischance have beguiled humanity like none other. Why does fortune smile on some people, and smirk on others? What is luck, and why does it so often visit the undeserving? How can we predict the random events happening around us? Even better, how can we manipulate them? In this delightful and lucid voyage through the realm of the random, Dr. Aczel once again makes higher mathematics intelligible to us.

Editorial Reviews

Publishers Weekly
The baffling, for some, subject of chance and luck is demystified in this sketchy but engaging treatise. Mathematician Aczel (Fermat's Last Theorem) includes some equations, but mostly sticks to grade-school arithmetic and a few easy story problems in explicating the mathematics of probability. He untangles a number of urgent conundrums, including why buses always seem to run late, why any group of 31 people will include two with the same birthday and why random walks can model the stock market. The book abounds in counterintuitive life lessons. You shouldn't gamble, he says, but if you do then you are better off, probability-wise, if you blow your whole wad on a single spin of the roulette wheel than if you parcel it out in smaller bets. And the lovelorn can take comfort in knowing that, if you just keep dating, the odds are surprisingly good that your soul mate will turn up. Indeed, "[y]ou will maximize your probability of finding the best spouse if you date thirty-seven percent of the available candidates in your life, and then choose to stay with the next candidate who is better than all previous ones." Aczel's treatments of some topics, like game theory, are so perfunctory as to barely register, but his light touch generally makes probability come alive. (Nov.) Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.
Library Journal
Mathematician Aczel has written several books on mathematical and scientific topics for the general public (e.g., Fermat's Last Theorem). In this new work, he once again explains the elements of probability theory for lay readers. In a clear exposition appropriately seasoned with bits of humor, he carefully points out that some of the results of probabilistic calculations can seem contrary to common sense and can even surprise experienced mathematicians and scientists such as himself; nevertheless, the results are mathematically sound and must be accepted. After the text, there are 22 problems, along with their answers. It is not often that one can recommend a mathematics book as good-quality "light" reading, but this work fits the bill.-Jack W. Weigel, Ann Arbor, MI Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.
More Reviews (1) Fewer Reviews
Kirkus Reviews
Are you a betting person? Here's how to calculate the odds. Mathematician Aczel (Pendulum, 2003, etc.) surveys probability theory, using no math more complex than algebra. He defines probability, then devotes each short chapter to explaining how it works in some concrete instance, such as the odds of drawing a spade from a deck of cards. Building from simpler to more complex examples, the author offers insights into phenomena that seem counterintuitive to many nonmathematicians, such as the "gambler's ruin," a proof that while the so-called law of averages will in the long run produce results that fit the predictions of simplistic mathematics, there is no guarantee that they will do so in the short run. In one long trial of coin flips, the number of heads stayed above the number of tails for nearly three thousand turns; in the very long run, it did even out, but gamblers relying on a 50-50 split would have been bankrupted long before the law of averages came to their rescue. Another counterintuitive result is the likelihood that in a group of 23 people, 2 will share a birthday; Aczel shows how to calculate it. Other startling coincidences, like a chance acquaintance turning out to be your wife's high-school classmate, depend on an extended web of interests and relationships that give all of us more in common than we realize. The author even manages to tie something as apparently esoteric as Baye's Theorem to everyday discourse by way of the "Monty Hall Problem," based on the three doors contestants had to choose among on Let's Make a Deal. A set of problems at the end lets readers test their understanding, and an appendix applies Aczel's insights to common gambling games. An entertainingintroduction to one of the most universally relevant and most widely misunderstood branches of mathematics.

Product Details

  • ISBN-13: 9781560257943
  • Publisher: Basic Books
  • Publication date: 1/9/2006
  • Edition description: First Trade Paper Edition
  • Pages: 176
  • Sales rank: 371,317
  • Product dimensions: 4.88 (w) x 7.48 (h) x 0.50 (d)

Meet the Author

Amir D. Aczel earned both his BA in mathematics and Master of Science degree from the University of Oregon. Among many other books, he is the author of Entanglement: The Greatest Mystery in Physics; The Mystery of the Aleph: Mathematics, the Kabbalah, and the Search for Infinity; and Fermat's Last Theorem: Unlocking the Secret of an Ancient Mathematical Problem, which was translated into fifteen languages. He is an internationnaly known mathematician and lives in Boston.

Table of Contents

1 What is probability? 1
2 Measuring the probability 5
3 The law of unions 9
4 Independence of events 11
5 Subjective probability 17
6 The complement of an event, and the union of independent events 25
7 Random walks and the gambler's ruin 41
8 What is randomness? 53
9 Pascal's triangle 59
10 The inspection paradox 63
11 The birthday problem 69
12 Coincidences 77
13 How to succeed in love (find the best apartment, or adopt the best puppy) 85
14 How the make decisions under uncertainty 89
15 Game strategies 93
16 Bayes's theorem 95
17 The normal curve 105
18 Understanding the presidential election (and other) polls 113
19 Conclusion 119
Appendix 133

Customer Reviews

Be the first to write a review
( 0 )

Rating Distribution

5 Star

(0)

4 Star

(0)

3 Star

(0)

2 Star

(0)

1 Star

(0)

Your Rating:

Review Guidelines
Add Recommendations
Your Name: Create a Pen Name or Leave Anonymously

Barnes & Noble.com Review Rules

Our reader reviews allow you to share your comments on titles you liked, or didn't, with others. By submitting an online review, you are representing to Barnes & Noble.com that all information contained in your review is original and accurate in all respects, and that the submission of such content by you and the posting of such content by Barnes & Noble.com does not and will not violate the rights of any third party. Please follow the rules below to help ensure that your review can be posted.

Reviews by Our Customers Under the Age of 13

We highly value and respect everyone's opinion concerning the titles we offer. However, we cannot allow persons under the age of 13 to have accounts at BN.com or to post customer reviews. Please see our Terms of Use for more details.

What to exclude from your review:

Please do not write about reviews, commentary, or information posted on the product page. If you see any errors in the information on the product page, please send us an email.

Reviews should not contain any of the following:

  • - HTML tags, profanity, obscenities, vulgarities, or comments that defame anyone
  • - Time-sensitive information such as tour dates, signings, lectures, etc.
  • - Single-word reviews. Other people will read your review to discover why you liked or didn't like the title. Be descriptive.
  • - Comments focusing on the author or that may ruin the ending for others
  • - Phone numbers, addresses, URLs
  • - Pricing and availability information or alternative ordering information
  • - Advertisements or commercial solicitation

Reminder:

  • - By submitting a review, you grant to Barnes & Noble.com and its sublicensees the royalty-free, perpetual, irrevocable right and license to use the review in accordance with the Barnes & Noble.com Terms of Use.
  • - Barnes & Noble.com reserves the right not to post any review -- particularly those that do not follow the terms and conditions of these Rules. Barnes & Noble.com also reserves the right to remove any review at any time without notice.
  • - See Terms of Use for other conditions and disclaimers.
Search for Products You'd Like to Recommend

Recommend other products that relate to your review. Just search for them below and share!

Create a Pen Name

Your Pen Name is your unique identiy on BN.com. It will appear on the reviews you write and other website activities. Your Pen Name cannot be edited, changed or deleted once submitted.

Your Pen Name can be any combination of alphanumeric characters (plus - and _), and must be at least two characters long.

Continue Anonymously

We're sorry, but penname is already taken.

Please select one of the following:
Your Pen Name can be any combination of alphanumeric characters (plus - and _), and must be at least two characters long.

Continue Anonymously

penname is available!

By visiting the BN.com website or marking a purchase on BN.com, a User is deemed to have accepted the Terms of Use.

Continue Anonymously

Welcome, penname

You have successfully created your Pen Name. Start enjoying the benefits of the BN.com Community today.

If you find inappropriate content, please report it to Barnes & Noble
Why is this product inappropriate?
Comments (optional)
500 character limit