Customer Reviews

Chances Are: A Primer on Probability

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This is a nice, short, clearly written, and amply illustrated introduction to probability. As the subtitle says, this book is intended as a primer - a first exposure to the topic. It would be suitable for high school students and anyone who wants to develop a basic understanding of the concepts involved in probability.

The book uses examples from games of chance (gambling), sports, and everyday life. The solutions to the problems are provided in the back, so it is a book that can be used for self-study - I consider this a huge plus.

Probability is a topic that should be more widely understood in our society. This book can begin the journey to that understanding for anyone who wants to gain an understanding of this vital subject.

If you are mired down in a course on statistics and/or probability and you need a quick guide for getting the up and down of it all then use this book. It explains the ideas in a succinct and easy to understand fashion. If there is something in here you do not understand then it is a good sign you need to seek out someone to explain it to you. This will certainly help you get ready to handle the thinking involved in basic probability context. If you have not taken stats or probability yet, then this book will give you what you need to actually enjoy the work that is ahead of you.

The one downside for college students is that this book is at the high school level. So it will not by itself take you through the rigor you will need to meet a decent college level exam/lecture. There is another book called "Probabilities The little Numbers That Rule Our Lives" by Peter Oloffsson that delves into the deeper subtleties in a conversational manner. In other words, training for thinking through the foundations of the tough problems, lectures, and exam questions.