by Leonard Mlodinow
This is just a really good, basic introduction to understanding statistics and their applications to social sciences and natural sciences, sports, the world of finance, and everywhere we see patterns in life. It has a heavy historical slant, telling the stories of how theories were developed, and I...
~~Moved from GR~~ The Drunkard's Walk: How Randomness Rules Our Lives by Leonard Mlodinow Agh, I love this book. The first time I read it, I hadn't yet encountered The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference or Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everythi...
If we were all unfeeling iRobots (floor cleaners) who respond to the random encounters in our lives by simply changing direction then the premise of this book is justified, for we would all follow our individual drunkard's walks to whatever probabilistic future awaits us. However taking this a step ...
My bone to pick with this popular stats/probability text is that Mlodinow indulges in the same sloppy examples and logic that marred so many of my math and science classes. If you're going to talk probability, stick with dice. As a nerd from the early days of Dungeons and Dragons, I completely under...
I think this book is a must-read for any person who considers themselves an informed citizen: it reveals the misunderstanding of probability and statistics that a majority of the population has and will enable you to determine the true significance of polls, surveys, and statistics thrown out in cur...
Worth reading, and for me it's worth buying. Explains a lot of mathematical theories related to probabilities and chance in clear, friendly language.I thought it was interesting that he was able to explain things so clearly without using any formulas. Maybe I should recommend it to my students.
http://pro-libertate.net/20100322/116-read-drunkard039s-walk-how-randomness-rules-our-lives
Clear and generally effective, but never particularly invigorating in its claims; for better and worse, very chatty. I like math (NERD!), and would have liked a bit more of a challenge (see David Foster Wallace's Everything and More). But it's more fun than any 36 of 40 math teachers, so what the ...
Very clarifying--like a glass of cold water thrown on your face
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