The unfinished game : Pascal, Fermat, and the seventeenth-century letter that made the world modern : [a tale of how mathematics is really done

Before the mid-seventeenth century, scholars generally agreed that it was impossible to predict something by calculating mathematical outcomes. One simply could not put a numerical value on the likelihood that a particular event would occur. Even the outcome of something as simple as a dice roll or the likelihood of showers instead of sunshine was thought to lie in the realm of pure, unknowable chance. The issue remained intractable until Blaise Pascal wrote to Pierre de Fermat in 1654, outlining a solution to the “unfinished game” problem: how do you divide the pot when players are forced to end a game of dice before someone has won? The idea turned out to be far more seminal than Pascal realized. From it, the two men developed the method known today as probability theory. In __The Unfinished Game__, mathematician and NPR commentator Keith Devlin tells the story of this correspondence and its remarkable impact on the modern world: from insurance rates, to housing and job markets, to the safety of cars and planes, calculating probabilities allowed people, for the first time, to think rationally about how future events might unfold. In the early seventeenth century, the outcome of something as simple as a dice roll was consigned to the realm of unknowable chance. Mathematicians largely agreed that it was impossible to predict the probability of an occurrence. Then, in 1654, Blaise Pascal wrote to Pierre de Fermat explaining that he had discovered how to calculate risk. The two collaborated to develop what is now known as probability theory — a concept that allows us to think rationally about decisions and events. In The Unfinished Game , Keith Devlin masterfully chronicles Pascal and Fermat's mathematical breakthrough, connecting a centuries-old discovery with its remarkable impact on the modern world. Examines The Seventeenth-century Correspondence Between Blaise Pascal And Pierre De Fermat That Described A Mathematical Method That Became The Foundation Of Probability, And Discusses How It Later Developed Into The Concept Of Risk Management In The Twenty-first Century. Monday, August 24, 1654 -- A Problem Worthy Of Great Minds -- On The Shoulders Of A Giant -- A Man Of Slight Build -- The Great Amateur -- Terrible Confusions -- Out Of The Gaming Room -- Into The Everyday World -- The Chance Of Your Life -- The Measure Of Our Ignorance. Keith Devlin. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. Keith Devlin is a Senior Researcher and Executive Director at Stanford's Center for the Study of Language and Information, a Consulting Professor in the Department of Mathematics, and a co-founder of the Stanford Media X research network. National Public Radio's #x93;Math Guy," he is the author of over twenty-five books. He lives in Stanford, California Monday, August 24, 1654 A problem worthy of great minds On the shoulders of a giant A man of slight build The great amateur Terrible confusions Out of the gaming rooms Into the everyday world The chance of your life The measure of our ignorance. From NPRs Math Guy, the engaging tale of Blaise Pascal, Pierre de Fermat, and the seventeenth-century letter that created the field of probability