Naive Decision Making
Naive Decision Making
How should one choose the best restaurant to eat in? Can one really make money at gambling? Or predict the future? Naive Decision Making presents the mathematical basis for making decisions where the outcome may be uncertain or the interests of others have to taken into consideration. Professor Körner takes the reader on an enjoyable journey through many aspects of mathematical decision making, with pithy observations, anecdotes and quotations. Topics include probability, statistics, Arrow's theorem, Game Theory and Nash equilibrium. Readers will also gain a great deal of insight into mathematics in general and the role it can play within society. Intended for those with elementary calculus, this book is ideal as a supplementary text for undergraduate courses in probability, game theory and decision making. Engaging and intriguing, it will also appeal to all those of a mathematical mind. To aid understanding, many exercises are included, with solutions available online.
- Discusses real-life questions and interesting problems in an entertaining and pithy style
- Ideal supplement for courses in probability, game theory, and decision making
- Features many exercises to help individual readers and students, with solutions available on the Web
Reviews & endorsements
"This is a very well-written and enjoyable book. Körner has a great sense of humor, as evidenced by his selection of anecdotes. Highly recommended."
M. Bona, University of Florida for Choice Magazine
"Naive Decision Making is a book full of pleasure. The writing is crisp, clear, and full of wit. Körner has managed to strike a nice balance between chatty and technical, between formal proofs and illustrative examples, and between breadth and depth of the topics considered. I have already referred a number of my students and colleagues to this book, and I am sure I will refer more in the future. In short, recommending Naive Decision Making is an easy decision to make."
Darren Glass, MAA Reviews
Product details
October 2008Paperback
9780521731638
390 pages
227 × 150 × 22 mm
0.54kg
17 tables 405 exercises
Available
Table of Contents
- Introduction
- 1. A day at the races
- 2. The long run
- 3. The virtue of insurance
- 4. Passing the time
- 5. A pack of cards
- 6. Other people
- 7. Simple games
- 8. Points of agreement
- 9. Long duels
- 10. A night at the casino
- 11. Prophecy
- 12. Final reflections
- A. The logarithm
- B. Cardano
- C. Huygens's problems
- D. Hints on pronunciation
- Index.
