Robert Matthews

Make your own luck by understanding probability Over the years, some very smart people have thought they understood the rules of chance?only to fail dismally. Whether you call it probability, risk, or uncertainty, the workings of chance often defy common sense. Fortunately, advances in math and science have revealed the laws of chance, and understanding those laws can help in your everyday life. In Chancing It, award-winning scientist and writer Robert Matthews shows how to understand the laws of probability and use them to your advantage. He gives you access to some of the most potent intellectual tools ever developed and explains how to use them to guide your judgments and decisions. By the end of the book, you will know: How to understand and even predict coincidences When an insurance policy is worth having Why expert predictions are often misleading How to tell when a scientific claim is a breakthrough or baloney When it makes sense to place a bet on anything from sports to stock markets A groundbreaking introduction to the power of probability, Chancing It will sharpen your decision-making and maximize your luck.

What happens if you fall into a black hole? Which properties give you the best chance of winning Monopoly? And why is it always so difficult to get ketchup to come out of a full bottle? Award winning science writer Robert Matthews provides answers to the most baffling, intriguing, and occasionally downright trivial questions submitted by members of the general public. From the mysterious fate of odd socks to the farthest reaches of the universe, this collection unravels the science behind the world around us. Entertaining, enlightening, and often inspired, this book is a must-read for all inquisitive minds.

A necessidade de compreender o acaso nunca foi tão urgenteEm um cenário de agitações políticas, tumultos nos mercados financeiros e uma interminável ladainha sobre riscos, ameaças e calamidades, todo

Éste libro nos revela científicamente todas esas curiosidades cotidianas que nadie se puede explicar.La ciencia es demasiado humana, seria e importante como para no tomársela a broma y reír con ella. Algunos de los mayores descubrimientos se iniciaron con experimentos que perseguian unos resultados muy diferentes a los logrados.Los ensayos pueden ser divertidos y los resultados pueden concluir que no hay ningun sentido. Pero esa es la gran paradoja y la esencia misma de la investigacion: la ciencia empieza realmente cuando algo no encaja.

“La frase más excitante que se puede oír en ciencia, la que anuncia nuevos descubrimientos, no es “¡Eureka!” sino ‘Qué curioso...’.” I. AsimovLa ciencia es demasiado humana, seria e importante como p