Before the mid-seventeenth century, scholars generally agreed that it was impossible to predict something by calculating mathematical outcomes. One...
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reviews
Jan 02, 2009
Ben
rated it: 
I've been reading some books recently with a new sort of question in mind: would I ever give this book to a kid I was teaching?
In the case of _The Unfinished Game_, Keith Devlin's little riff on the 17th century exchange between Blaise Pascal and Pierre de Fermat and its role in the history of risk management, the answer is absolutely not.
I did not fail to find anything of value in this book. I read it because I've become increasingly interested as an educator in the history More...
In the case of _The Unfinished Game_, Keith Devlin's little riff on the 17th century exchange between Blaise Pascal and Pierre de Fermat and its role in the history of risk management, the answer is absolutely not.
I did not fail to find anything of value in this book. I read it because I've become increasingly interested as an educator in the history More...
Aug 04, 2009
Eric
rated it: 
I’ve got a dirty secret - I’m mathematically challenged, and it has always been so. I’ve had to work extra hard to be extra average at math. Secretly, I’d like to be good at math, and understand some of the advanced compression, encryption, and other algorithms that kick around the interwebs. Every now and then, I’ll pick up a math-oriented book, and I usually put it down in despair. Not so The Unfinished Game, which is as much about history as it is about probability.
In a nutshell, More...
In a nutshell, More...
Nov 15, 2008
Lars
rated it: 
The low rating (for me, I know I rate high but I like to think I read what I'm interested in and know about so that my discrimintion is shown as much by my selection as my evaluation) is more due to my weaknesses in math than Devlin's style or story. I would have liked more context (and I mean non-mathematical context)--like the mise en scène of late Seventeeth Century France and the other eras and locales included here. I once had a European history prof who made the development of annuities
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Feb 01, 2011
David
rated it:
A generally well done look at the origins of probability theory, the implications for the insurance industry and so on. The author takes a very interesting look at the mindset (or lack thereof) of people prior to the wide spread use of statistics and probability theory in modern every day life. This is intriguing to me in two ways- first,what life is like without it, and two, how frequently misused it is today (which is also addressed albeit briefly).
Jan 01, 2012
Felicia
rated it:
I wouldn't have minded a little more info on why Pascal was wrong about when you stop the game, although now it has been explained to me. In general, it was a good book and fast reading. I preferred the discussion of the letter to the discussion of the consequences.
Jun 16, 2009
Linda
rated it:
This is a book about the letter correspondence between Fermat and Pascal that began in 1654 and led to the development of the foundations of probability theory and implications for risk management today. This book combines 17th C math history and 21st C economics.
Jun 14, 2010
Elliot
rated it: 
A brief history of Pascal, Fermat, their relationship, and many other contributing mathematicians in the area of study of statistics and the theory of probability. A bit too technical and far too dry for my tastes, very informative though.
Jan 09, 2009
Steve
rated it:
Reading the Black Swan got me interested in this one...
I liked that it describes the development of probability theory with intuitive explanations. I found my interest renewed in the mathematical topics.
I liked that it describes the development of probability theory with intuitive explanations. I found my interest renewed in the mathematical topics.
Jul 05, 2010
Valerie
rated it:
Letter writing is most certainly a lost art. "I beg you to inform me how you would proceed in your research on this problem. I shall receive your reply with respect and joy, even if your opinion should be contrary to mine." contrasted with today's modern flame wars. Having just taken a class in decision quality at Stanford, I found the discussions of Baye's formula and assessing risk by using probability very interesting. It is difficult to imagine a time before probability mathem
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Jul 15, 2009
John
rated it: 
A complete waste of my time. I would rather they chose either the math or the people involved to concentrate on instead of focusing on both and failing twice.
Mar 09, 2009
Nick
rated it:
The quality of the writing doesn't quite match the content, but the later is so rich that it holds together well.
Jan 28, 2009
The bios seem a little thin, and I've already run across a chunk of more-or-less repeated text.
Jan 06, 2009
mandy
rated it:
While this is book is meant to appeal to "regular" people, and not mathematicians, I found that the math that is included was at times hard to grasp. Luckily, Devlin has a knack for explaining the principles behind the formulas with real world examples, which helped a great deal. We also find out a lot of history about various 17th century mathematicians, so history buffs might enjoy this as well. Overall an interesting read.
Apr 21, 2010
Scott
rated it:
This was fantastic!!! I greatly enjoyed the historical perspective to the mathematics. I'll be recommending this book to ALL my students.
Jun 26, 2009
I thought this would be great ... but it turned out to not be that exciting. At least, the first couple chapters weren't.
Jul 06, 2011
weeshop
rated it:
fascinating - enjoyed the history and really liked the math part although didn't completely understand
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