Random numbers are immensely important in scientific research, in economic decision making, in polling, gaming, and cryptography and algorithm design. Surprisingly, while many popular books in mathematics have been written about prime numbers, about ??, e, ?-1, there exist no books for the general reader about random numbers. True, the subject of randomness as such has been the subject of several books, but random numbers are only mentioned, if at all, as a by-product. Given the immense theoretical and practical importance of random numbers, this is astonishing.
This book proposes to fill that gap.
The book discusses random numbers under five headings: What are they? What are they good for? How do we produce them? Why do we need them? How do we fake them? The book has been written with a sophisticated general reader in mind, but should be of much interest to students and academics of all levels who have an interest in mathematics and randomness.
Features
? Written in an easily readable, conversational style
? Aimed at general readers who are interested in mathematics in general, or who have read books about ??, e, ?-1, or irrational numbers
? Accessible to anybody with a high-school mathematics education.
Rezensionen / Stimmen
"Who would have thought a book on random numbers would be more than randomly interesting? Author Szpiro draws readers in with clarity, wit and readily understood examples. Plenty of history, examples and some solid math for the cognoscenti!"
-Vint Cerf, Internet Pioneer
Sprache
Verlagsort
Verlagsgruppe
Zielgruppe
Für höhere Schule und Studium
General and Undergraduate Core
Produkt-Hinweis
Fadenheftung
Gewebe-Einband
Illustrationen
6 s/w Photographien bzw. Rasterbilder, 8 s/w Zeichnungen, 14 s/w Abbildungen
8 Line drawings, black and white; 6 Halftones, black and white; 14 Illustrations, black and white
Maße
Höhe: 234 mm
Breite: 156 mm
ISBN-13
978-1-041-07644-5 (9781041076445)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Klassifikation
George Szpiro, born in Vienna, holds dual Swiss and Israeli citizenship. He earned his MSc in mathematics from the Swiss Institute of Technology (ETH) in Zurich, an MBA from Stanford University, and a doctorate in mathematical economics from the Hebrew University in Jerusalem. Following consulting stints with McKinsey and Company, he turned to academia. After several years of academic research and teaching at the Wharton School (University of Pennsylvania) and the Hebrew University, he changed careers again and became a foreign correspondent and mathematics columnist for the Swiss daily Neue Zuercher Zeitung. For over twenty years he reported from Israel, and for six years from New York.
Apart from two dozen academic papers in mathematics, statistics, economics, and genetic algorithms, Szpiro has authored nine books for general interest readers in mathematics, economics, and political science. He has been awarded the Prix Media by the Swiss Academy of Natural Sciences, the Medienpreis of the German Mathematical Society, and was a finalist for the Descartes Prize of the European Union.
Introduction Part I Random Numbers: What are they? Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Part II Random Numbers: What are they good for? Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Part III Random Numbers: How do we produce them? Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10 Chapter 11 Part IV Random Numbers: Why do we need them? Chapter 12 Chapter 13 Chapter 14 Chapter 15 Chapter 16 Part V Random Numbers: How do we fake them? Chapter 17 Chapter 18 Chapter 19 Epilogue
