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The Monty Hall Problem: The Remarkable Story of Math's Most Contentious Brain Teaser |  | Author: Jason Rosenhouse
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
List Price: $24.95
Buy New: $17.17
as of 11/23/2009 12:49 CST details
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Rating:  8 reviews
Sales Rank: 10251
Media: Hardcover
Pages: 208
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.8
Dimensions (in): 9.3 x 6.4 x 0.9
ISBN: 0195367898
Dewey Decimal Number: 519.2
EAN: 9780195367898
ASIN: 0195367898
Publication Date: June 4, 2009
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Editorial Reviews:
Product Description
Mathematicians call it the Monty Hall Problem, and it is one of the most interesting mathematical brain teasers of recent times. Imagine that you face three doors, behind one of which is a prize. You choose one but do not open it. The host--call him Monty Hall--opens a different door, always choosing one he knows to be empty. Left with two doors, will you do better by sticking with your first choice, or by switching to the other remaining door? In this light-hearted yet ultimately serious book, Jason Rosenhouse explores the history of this fascinating puzzle. Using a minimum of mathematics (and none at all for much of the book), he shows how the problem has fascinated philosophers, psychologists, and many others, and examines the many variations that have appeared over the years. As Rosenhouse demonstrates, the Monty Hall Problem illuminates fundamental mathematical issues and has abiding philosophical implications. Perhaps most important, he writes, the problem opens a window on our cognitive difficulties in reasoning about uncertainty.
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| Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 1-5 of 8
Does exactly what it sets out to do October 8, 2009
Jos Pols
Nutshell review - This is a fun book for lovers of math problems, probability theory and specifically if you just have to understand the Monty Hall problem. Written in a lively style and with good humour the author covers the Monty Hall problem, various ways to explain it, the probability math behind it, the psychology and thought processes of it's victims and much more. Worth a read but I suggest getting it form the library first to see whether it is worth owning because once you get it, you got it. The short answer - switch ;)
A Detailed Analysis of an Intriguing Brain Teaser September 21, 2009
G. Poirier (Orleans, ON, Canada)
3 out of 4 found this review helpful
Believe it or not, this entire book is on the Monty Hall problem! The author, a mathematics professor, has analyzed this fascinating brain teaser from a variety of angles. After discussing the problem's history, he presents various attempts that have been made to understand it. The earlier attempts, including those by Marilyn vos Savant, tend to focus on logical arguments in order to arrive at the correct solution. But in order to solve the problem with mathematical rigour, the author uses some of the tools of his trade such as conditional probability and Bayes' Theorem. But that's not all. He also discusses a series of variants to the problem and proceeds to solve those as well. Finally, psychological and philosophical issues are also presented, partly in an attempt to understand why the human mind has been shown to have so much difficulty in solving this problem. The writing style is clear, friendly and authoritative, although some of the unfortunate editorial errors that the book contains may contribute towards slowing down a reader's attempts at following some of the author's arguments. Regarding accessibility, general readers can learn much from a good part of the main text because of the many clear explanations; however, several sections are fairly heavy with mathematics, a few of which can be rather challenging. Consequently, although anyone with an interest in this problem can benefit greatly from reading this book, math and science buffs are likely to glean the most out of it.
I Never Had a Clue September 19, 2009
Larry Underwood (Scottsdale, AZ)
Jason Rosenhouse's witty and most enlightening perspective into the otherwise dry field of mathematical probability will help even the novice (for example, me) get a better understanding on why so few cars were doled out on "Let's Make a Deal", and why so many goats were distributed by the devious Monty Hall. He knew what he was doing, and the poor studio audience didn't have a clue; neither did I.
Thanks to people like Marilyn Vos Savant and now Jason Rosenhouse, the masses have a slightly better understanding of the laws of probability; at least we've been presented with the evidence. You don't have to be a genius to understand the findings; but you do need to keep an open mind and at least realize you'd have a very good chance of going home with some stupid goat at the end of that show if you didn't take the chance to switch to a different door when Monty taunted you with that chance.
This is a wonderful book and will make anyone feel like a genius once they've perused it. Too bad Monty's not still wheeling and dealing. Now we're ready for him.
A lively review of basic math problems and philosophy alike August 17, 2009
Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA)
THE MONTY HALL PROBLEM: THE REMARKABLE STORY OF MATH'S MOST CONTENTIOUS BRAIN TEASER follows one of the most interesting mathematical brain teasers of modern times, and uses a surprising minimum of math concepts in the process. Any interested in puzzle challenges - which ranges from college-level libraries strong in math to general-interest holdings - will find this a lively review of basic math problems and philosophy alike.
Surprising solution to counterintuitive conundrum July 29, 2009
Paul D. Grieder (barrington, RI, USA)
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
A very engaging show of perspicuous writing on conditional probability. Exposes human intuitive judgment of probability as unreliable at best.
Showing reviews 1-5 of 8
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