The Monty Hall Problem: The Remarkable Story of Math's Most Contentious Brain Teaser (Hardcover) (ISBN-13: 9780195367898)

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.

Author: Jason Rosenhouse
ISBN-10: 0195367898
ISBN-13: 9780195367898
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
Language: English
Published: 06/04/2009
Pages: 208
Format: Hardcover
Weight: 1.05lbs
Size: 9.72h x 6.25w x 0.83d

Review Citation(s):
Science 10/09/2009 pg. 231
Choice 07/01/2010