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The improbability principle : why coincidences, miracles, and rare events happen every day / David J. Hand.

by Hand, D. J. (David J.), 1950-

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Scientific American/Farrar, Straus and Giroux, c2014.

9780374175344 (hc.)

0374175349 (hc.)

Alternate title:

Why coincidences, miracles, and rare events happen every day

xii, 269 p. : ill. ; 24 cm.

Includes bibliographical references (p. [247]-256) and index.

The mystery -- A capricious universe -- What is chance? -- The law of inevitability -- The law of truly large numbers -- The law of selection -- The law of the probability lever -- The law of near enough -- The human mind -- Life, the universe, and everything -- How to use the improbability principle.

"Renowned statistician David J. Hand argues that extraordinarily rare events are anything but. In fact, they're commonplace. Not only that, we should all expect to experience a miracle roughly once every month. But Hand is no believer in superstitions, prophecies, or the paranormal. His definition of 'miracle' is thoroughly rational. No mystical or supernatural explanation is necessary to understand why someone is lucky enough to win the lottery twice, or is destined to be hit by lightning three times and still survive. All we need, Hand argues, is a firm grounding in a powerful set of laws: the laws of inevitability, of truly large numbers, of selection, of the probability lever, and of near enough. Together, these constitute Hand's groundbreaking Improbability Principle." -- Provided by publisher.

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