40 Paradoxes in Logic, Probability, and Game Theory

40 Paradoxes in Logic, Probability, and Game Theory
Author: Presh Talwalkar
Publisher:
Total Pages: 142
Release: 2015-09-21
Genre:
ISBN: 9781517319304

This book contains 40 delightful paradoxes. Here is a small sampling.LOGIC: Is it ever right to ask the question: "May I disturb you?" The very act of asking will disturb the person. And yet, I simply can't know if it's correct to ask the question unless I actually ask the question!PROBABILITY: In 2007, the college football team USC was ranked as 7th in the Harris poll, 6th in the USA Today poll, and 6th in the computer rankings. And yet, when the three polls were averaged, USC ended up as being ranked as the 5th best team overall. How is that possible?GAME THEORY: You play game A that is a losing bet. You also play game B that is a losing bet. Yet when you play games A and B alternately that is a winning bet. How can two losing games combine to make a winning game?

Rock, Paper, Scissors

Rock, Paper, Scissors
Author: Len Fisher
Publisher: Basic Books
Total Pages: 280
Release: 2008-11-04
Genre: Science
ISBN: 0786726938

Praised by Entertainment Weekly as “the man who put the fizz into physics,” Dr. Len Fisher turns his attention to the science of cooperation in his lively and thought-provoking book. Fisher shows how the modern science of game theory has helped biologists to understand the evolution of cooperation in nature, and investigates how we might apply those lessons to our own society. In a series of experiments that take him from the polite confines of an English dinner party to crowded supermarkets, congested Indian roads, and the wilds of outback Australia, not to mention baseball strategies and the intricacies of quantum mechanics, Fisher sheds light on the problem of global cooperation. The outcomes are sometimes hilarious, sometimes alarming, but always revealing. A witty romp through a serious science, Rock, Paper, Scissors will both teach and delight anyone interested in what it what it takes to get people to work together.

Introducing Game Theory

Introducing Game Theory
Author: Ivan Pastine
Publisher: Icon Books
Total Pages: 273
Release: 2017-03-02
Genre: Mathematics
ISBN: 1785780832

When should you adopt an aggressive business strategy? How do we make decisions when we don't have all the information? What makes international environmental cooperation possible? Game theory is the study of how we make a decision when the outcome of our moves depends on the decisions of someone else. Economists Ivan and Tuvana Pastine explain why, in these situations, we sometimes cooperate, sometimes clash, and sometimes act in a way that seems completely random. Stylishly brought to life by award-winning cartoonist Tom Humberstone, Game Theory will help readers understand behaviour in everything from our social lives to business, global politics to evolutionary biology. It provides a thrilling new perspective on the world we live in.

Sleight of Mind

Sleight of Mind
Author: Matt Cook
Publisher: MIT Press
Total Pages: 369
Release: 2021-08-03
Genre: Mathematics
ISBN: 0262542293

This “fun, brain-twisting book . . . will make you think” as it explores more than 75 paradoxes in mathematics, philosophy, physics, and the social sciences (Sean Carroll, New York Times–bestselling author of Something Deeply Hidden). Paradox is a sophisticated kind of magic trick. A magician’s purpose is to create the appearance of impossibility, to pull a rabbit from an empty hat. Yet paradox doesn’t require tangibles, like rabbits or hats. Paradox works in the abstract, with words and concepts and symbols, to create the illusion of contradiction. There are no contradictions in reality, but there can appear to be. In Sleight of Mind, Matt Cook and a few collaborators dive deeply into more than 75 paradoxes in mathematics, physics, philosophy, and the social sciences. As each paradox is discussed and resolved, Cook helps readers discover the meaning of knowledge and the proper formation of concepts—and how reason can dispel the illusion of contradiction. The journey begins with “a most ingenious paradox” from Gilbert and Sullivan’s Pirates of Penzance. Readers will then travel from Ancient Greece to cutting-edge laboratories, encounter infinity and its different sizes, and discover mathematical impossibilities inherent in elections. They will tackle conundrums in probability, induction, geometry, and game theory; perform “supertasks”; build apparent perpetual motion machines; meet twins living in different millennia; explore the strange quantum world—and much more.

Twisted Logic

Twisted Logic
Author: Leighton Vaughan Williams
Publisher: CRC Press
Total Pages: 209
Release: 2024-07-03
Genre: Mathematics
ISBN: 1040038093

Twisted Logic: Puzzles, Paradoxes, and Big Questions delves into the intriguing world of twisted logic, where everyday conundrums, bewildering paradoxes, and life's big questions are investigated and decoded. Crafted for the curious mind, this book sheds light on how our intuition and common sense can often mislead us. Without the need for technical jargon or mathematical prowess, it serves as your personal compass through fascinating intellectual landscapes and ultimate explorations. From the quirky corners of Bayesian reasoning to practical strategies in daily choices, this is your companion for a clearer way of thinking. Features: A comprehensive toolkit to refine your cognitive processes and avoid common pitfalls. Insights into the oddities of probability, strategy, and fate that govern our lives. A fresh perspective on everyday decisions and life's larger dilemmas, including finding everything from a place to eat to a new home to a life partner. Practical advice on optimising daily routines, such as determining the best time of day to arrange important appointments. Thought-provoking 'When Should We?' questions that challenge us to think critically about decision-making in our lives. Prepare to challenge your perceptions and unveil hidden truths. Twisted Logic is an enlightening adventure that promises to transform the mundane into the extraordinary. Embark on a journey where the only thing certain is the thrill of the unknown.

Epistemic Game Theory

Epistemic Game Theory
Author: Andrés Perea
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 581
Release: 2012-06-07
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 1107008913

The first textbook to explain the principles of epistemic game theory.

Empirical Paradox, Complexity Thinking and Generating New Kinds of Knowledge

Empirical Paradox, Complexity Thinking and Generating New Kinds of Knowledge
Author: Paolo Grigolini
Publisher: Cambridge Scholars Publishing
Total Pages: 284
Release: 2019-06-05
Genre: Philosophy
ISBN: 1527535525

Is another world war inevitable? The answer is a resounding “yes” if we continue to think in terms of “either/or” outcomes. Adversaries think in such terms, you either get what you want, or you do not. Can a different way of thinking produce a different outcome? This book shows that the consistency demanded by the linear, logical either/or thinking is disrupted by paradox, whose resolution forces a consequent decision: war or peace, with no middle ground. If this were the only way of thinking then a person would be either a protagonist or an antagonist, but a person can be both, either, or neither; this opens the door to novel solutions. This is “both/and” thinking, which the book shows can be achieved by a dynamic resolution of paradox. Thus, a basically selfish individual can also be a hero; a consequence of the complexity of being human.

Math Puzzles Volume 2

Math Puzzles Volume 2
Author: Presh Talwalkar
Publisher:
Total Pages: 240
Release: 2015-10-08
Genre:
ISBN: 9781517531621

What is a better fit: a square peg in a round hole, or a round peg in a square hole?Your music player seems to be playing the same songs over again. Is there something wrong with the shuffle feature, or might the songs be playing randomly?You have 100 dimes, and I have 99 pennies. At the same time, we will toss our coins in the air and let them fall on the floor. Then we meticulously count the outcomes of our tosses. You win if you show more heads than I do. What's the probability that you will win?The YouTube channel and blog Mind Your Decisions has blog posts and original videos about math that have been viewed millions of times. The problems in this book are based on some of the best puzzles in counting, geometry, and probability and game theory.

Nonplussed!

Nonplussed!
Author: Julian Havil
Publisher: Princeton University Press
Total Pages: 213
Release: 2010-08-02
Genre: Mathematics
ISBN: 1400837383

Math—the application of reasonable logic to reasonable assumptions—usually produces reasonable results. But sometimes math generates astonishing paradoxes—conclusions that seem completely unreasonable or just plain impossible but that are nevertheless demonstrably true. Did you know that a losing sports team can become a winning one by adding worse players than its opponents? Or that the thirteenth of the month is more likely to be a Friday than any other day? Or that cones can roll unaided uphill? In Nonplussed!—a delightfully eclectic collection of paradoxes from many different areas of math—popular-math writer Julian Havil reveals the math that shows the truth of these and many other unbelievable ideas. Nonplussed! pays special attention to problems from probability and statistics, areas where intuition can easily be wrong. These problems include the vagaries of tennis scoring, what can be deduced from tossing a needle, and disadvantageous games that form winning combinations. Other chapters address everything from the historically important Torricelli's Trumpet to the mind-warping implications of objects that live on high dimensions. Readers learn about the colorful history and people associated with many of these problems in addition to their mathematical proofs. Nonplussed! will appeal to anyone with a calculus background who enjoys popular math books or puzzles.

Probability, Choice, and Reason

Probability, Choice, and Reason
Author: Leighton Vaughan Williams
Publisher: CRC Press
Total Pages: 311
Release: 2021-09-15
Genre: Mathematics
ISBN: 1000458873

Much of our thinking is flawed because it is based on faulty intuition. By using the framework and tools of probability and statistics, we can overcome this to provide solutions to many real-world problems and paradoxes. We show how to do this, and find answers that are frequently very contrary to what we might expect. Along the way, we venture into diverse realms and thought experiments which challenge the way that we see the world. Features: An insightful and engaging discussion of some of the key ideas of probabilistic and statistical thinking Many classic and novel problems, paradoxes, and puzzles An exploration of some of the big questions involving the use of choice and reason in an uncertain world The application of probability, statistics, and Bayesian methods to a wide range of subjects, including economics, finance, law, and medicine Exercises, references, and links for those wishing to cross-reference or to probe further Solutions to exercises at the end of the book This book should serve as an invaluable and fascinating resource for university, college, and high school students who wish to extend their reading, as well as for teachers and lecturers who want to liven up their courses while retaining academic rigour. It will also appeal to anyone who wishes to develop skills with numbers or has an interest in the many statistical and other paradoxes that permeate our lives. Indeed, anyone studying the sciences, social sciences, or humanities on a formal or informal basis will enjoy and benefit from this book.