Chancing It: The Laws of Chance and What They Mean for You
Written by Robert Matthews
Narrated by Jeff Cummings
4/5
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About this audiobook
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.
Robert Matthews
Robert Matthews is a Visiting Professor at Aston University, specialising in the mathematics of chance and uncertainty. His research on issues ranging from the prediction of coincidences to methods for turning evidence into insight has been published in many leading journals, including Nature and The Lancet. He is also an award-winning science writer, Science Consultant to BBC Focus and a former specialist correspondent with The Times and Sunday Telegraph. www.robertmatthews.org
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