tag random

He [Galton] even measured the life spans of sovereigns and clergymen, which, being similar to the lifespans of people in other professions, led him to conclude that prayer brought no benefit.
– Leonard Mlodinov

Mlodinov’s “The Drunkard’s Walk…” is a fantastically good book. I couldn’t pull myself away of it, I’d read it in the morning before the work starts and right after I wrap it up for a day. A captivating overview of mathematics of chance, randomness, and statistics put in a very comprehensible form and language, intertwined with amusing digressions into history of mathematical thought, it connects randomness with our everyday life. Scientific American’s comment reflect my feelings: “Delightfully entertaining”.