In this fascinating book, mathematician Ed Beltrami takes a close enough look at randomness to make it mysteriously disappear. The results of coin tosses, it turns out, are determined from the start, and only our incomplete knowledge makes them look random. Random sequences of numbers are more elusive, but Godels undecidability theorem informs us that we will never know. Those familiar with quantum indeterminacy assert that order is an illusion, and that the world is fundamentally random. Yet randomness is also an illusion. Perhaps order and randomness, like waves and particles, are only two sides of the same (tossed) coin.
Edward Beltrami is Professor Emeritus in the Department of Applied Mathematics at Stony Brook University in Long Island, New York. His research interests include probability theory, mathematical biology, mathematical modelling, and many more. He is the author of several books on the applications of mathematics.
Beltrami lives with his wife and several cats in suburban Long Island. He enjoys cooking, listening to music, and being a part-time wine critic.
Title: What Is Random?: Chance and Order in Mathematics and Life
Author: Beltrami, Edward
ISBN: 9781071607985
Binding:
Publisher: Springer-Verlag New York Inc.
Publication Date: 2020-07-30
Number of Pages: 192
Weight: 0.2359 kg