Introduction Figure It Out Chances of Injury How Certain Is It Measuring Tendencies Figure It Out Choose a Door Samples and Studies Figure It Out Diagrams for Life Figure It Out Statistical Facts Glossary Index 3 Math Toolkit Selected Bibliography Websites Answer Key Finding Math in Randomness
W hen you think about mathematics you probably think about a class at school where you do calculations and answer word problems But have you ever thought about math being all around you It’s in every shape and pattern you see It’s in every song you hear It’s in every game you play and any puzzle you solve The first mathematicians realized this and they looked for ways to prove it to show how order and reason could explain much about life as they knew it Sometimes this was easy to do But other times people just didn’t get it Even some of the most intelligent people in history have struggled with math Albert Einstein once wrote to a child Do not worry about your difficulties in Mathematics I can assure you mine are still greater So how can you use whatever you know about math in everyday life When you wonder about the odds of having a snow day calculate your av erage test score determine the range of options for an ice cream sundae or flip a coin to make a decision you are using math These actions are part of a branch of mathematics known as proba bility and statistics This is one of the newest branches of mathematics It involves predict ing how likely it is that particular events will occur and then studying them once they have happened Think about the different events in your life What are the ways you can apply probability and statistics to them 5
