'It is hard to imagine a more timely book ... much of the modern world will make more sense having read it.' The Times
'Brilliant and authoritative' - Alex Bellos, author of Alex's Adventures in Numberland
'Prepares the ground comprehensively for readers to make sense of what is happening today, by distilling the wisdom gathered by studying previous epidemics over more than a century.' Financial Times
Why do some ideas take off - and others fail to spread? Why are some diseases predictable, and others swamped in uncertainty? And what about the outbreaks that never happen at all?
We live in a world that's more connected than ever before. But even as we see our lives being shaped by the spread of ideas, trends - and even diseases - we sometimes struggle to grasp how it actually works. Outbreaks seem to be driven by randomness and hidden laws, and in order to understand them, we need to start thinking like mathematicians....]]> Fri, 03 Jul 2020 15:36:20 +0300 https://readfrom.net/adam-kucharski/79904-the_perfect_bet.html https://readfrom.net/adam-kucharski/79904-the_perfect_bet.html
"An elegant and amusing account.... Anyone planning to enter a casino or place an online bet would be advised to keep this book handy." —Wall Street Journal
For the past 500 years, gamblers-led by mathematicians and scientists-have been trying to figure out how to pull the rug out from under Lady Luck. In The Perfect Bet, mathematician and award-winning writer Adam Kucharski tells the astonishing story of how the experts have succeeded, revolutionizing mathematics and science in the process. The house can seem unbeatable. Kucharski shows us just why it isn't. Even better, he demonstrates how the search for the perfect bet has been crucial for the scientific pursuit of a better world.]]> Tue, 08 Nov 2016 19:37:56 +0200