Struck by Lightning

We live in an uncertain world, and an understanding of probability is vital to prevent us from being decieved by false claims of certainty. In Struck by Lightning:Struck by Lightning: The Curious World of Probabilities , Jeffrey Rosenthal gives a gentle introduction to the subject to those untutored in the ins and outs of probability.

Rosenthal starts by looking at the coincidences we tend to see in our lives, showing they usually aren't as unlikely as they may seem. Elsewhere he discusses our assessment of risks, showing that they often aren't as bad as we may think. Probability is often associated with games of chance, and several chapters of the book to this topic, showing how casinos always win in the end. Rosenthal also discusses how to interpret statistical studies, and how to look out for possible bias. There are chapters on the perils of opinion polls, on randomness in biology and physics and on how probability is used in distinguishing genuine emails from spam. And of course there's a discussion of the infamous Monty Hall question.

Some books appeal both to the beginner and to those with more experience in a subject, but I'm not sure that this is one of them - I'm not convinced there's enough to hold the interest of those who already know something about probability theory. But if you don't and you want a light-hearted introduction to the subject then this is probably the book for you.