From the course: Everyday Statistics, with Eddie Davila

Unlock this course with a free trial

Join today to access over 22,600 courses taught by industry experts.

Historic stats stories

Historic stats stories

From the course: Everyday Statistics, with Eddie Davila

Start my 1-month free trial Buy for my team

Historic stats stories

“

- [Instructor] Math isn't new. Statistics, though, it isn't that old. And believe it or not, if it wasn't for a French writer that fancied gambling, who knows when the modern theory of probability would have been discovered. The French writer's name was Antoine Gombaud. He preferred being called the Chevalier de Mere. Dice was his game and it seemed that he liked gambling a lot. And he kept records. Anyway, the Chevalier, he figured that the odds of rolling at least one six in four rolls, was the same as rolling at least one double-six in 24 rolls. It seemed logical, but his meticulous gambling records didn't agree. He needed answers, but there was no such thing as probability. Where could he turn? Well, the Chevalier, he liked hanging out in some fairly elite intellectual circles. This is how he knew the French prodigy, Blaise Pascal. Pascal, he's an all-time math Hall of Famer. The Chevalier, writer, gambler, accountant. He asked Pascal to help him solve this problem. Pascal accepts…

Contents