Download or read book The Improbability Principle written by David J. Hand and published by Scientific American / Farrar, Straus and Giroux. This book was released on 2014-02-11 with total page 289 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In The Improbability Principle, the renowned statistician David J. Hand argues that extraordinarily rare events are anything but. In fact, they're commonplace. Not only that, we should all expect to experience a miracle roughly once every month. But Hand is no believer in superstitions, prophecies, or the paranormal. His definition of "miracle" is thoroughly rational. No mystical or supernatural explanation is necessary to understand why someone is lucky enough to win the lottery twice, or is destined to be hit by lightning three times and still survive. All we need, Hand argues, is a firm grounding in a powerful set of laws: the laws of inevitability, of truly large numbers, of selection, of the probability lever, and of near enough. Together, these constitute Hand's groundbreaking Improbability Principle. And together, they explain why we should not be so surprised to bump into a friend in a foreign country, or to come across the same unfamiliar word four times in one day. Hand wrestles with seemingly less explicable questions as well: what the Bible and Shakespeare have in common, why financial crashes are par for the course, and why lightning does strike the same place (and the same person) twice. Along the way, he teaches us how to use the Improbability Principle in our own lives—including how to cash in at a casino and how to recognize when a medicine is truly effective. An irresistible adventure into the laws behind "chance" moments and a trusty guide for understanding the world and universe we live in, The Improbability Principle will transform how you think about serendipity and luck, whether it's in the world of business and finance or you're merely sitting in your backyard, tossing a ball into the air and wondering where it will land.

Download or read book Coincidences Chaos and All that Math Jazz written by Edward B. Burger and published by W. W. Norton & Company. This book was released on 2005 with total page 300 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: An explanation of challenging puzzles within the world of mathematics considers such topics as the link between a pineapple's spirals and the famous Fibonacci numbers, and the shape of the universe as reflected by a twisted strip of paper.

Download or read book A Collection Of Curious Coincidences written by Kenneth Diehl and published by Page Publishing Inc. This book was released on 2022-12-14 with total page 148 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: We live in a divided world. Politics, nationality, customs, economic status, and more seem to be the stuff of contention and conflict. None more so than the zealots that divide our search for and understanding of the truth regarding our existence. On the one hand, we have the naturalists who believe that the entire universe can be explained by science. On the other hand, there are the religious who believe that everything has already been explained through faith. Many in both camps believe that only their view is correct and the other must be wrong. In support of their belief, each side has their rationalizations that serve only to satisfy their own egos and comfort members who already support their opinions. What if both camps are equally right? What if science and faith are reconcilable? Wouldn't that be interesting? This book is an attempt to illuminate beliefs from both camps that appear, quite coincidentally, to be saying the same thing. It is an effort to illustrate how details of what we learn through physics, chemistry, history, archaeology, and other sciences appear to support the broad explanations of what we believe on faith. It is offered as an explanation of how if we really stop to think about what we believe we know, we may find some common ground between the two extremes of faith and science that can stand the scrutiny of criticism. Furthermore, it is not an attempt to evangelize or convert. It is a collection of topics where both science and faith have a lot to say and, to this author's mind, appear to be in tremendous agreement. Hopefully, the discussions herein will prompt greater interest in evaluating our beliefs and encourage the reader to look deeper into their apparent meaning. In any case, I hope the reader finds the topics as interesting as they are challenging.

Download or read book Empires written by Nick Earls and published by Random House Australia. This book was released on 2021-08-03 with total page 336 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Alaska, 2018, and Mike is a long way from home, nursing a wrecked knee and an unspoken grief, striking out into real estate and parenting his partner’s son. London, 1978, and Simon is an Australian fish out of water navigating adolescence during the Winter of Discontent, and drawn to an eccentric impresario next door. Washington, DC, 1928, and a retired US senator is interviewed about his time in Russia in 1916, and his mission to save a young heir to an empire. Vienna, 1809, and an Irish teenager on the run from the law takes refuge among composers as Napoleon besieges and shells the city. Hong Kong, 2019, and estranged brothers Mike and Simon reunite in midlife to face the secrets of the past, and reconnect in more ways than one. Empires rise and fall, human lives play out, encounters, collisions and connections occur more than we can ever know – and yet, the unexpected can still happen. Endlessly compelling and inventive, Empires is a masterful novel in five parts with boys and men at its heart. Spanning centuries and crossing continents, it explores the empires we build, the way we see ourselves, the narratives we construct and the interconnectedness of all things. This is Nick Earls at his finest.

Download or read book Coincidence written by David Ambrose and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2013-04-25 with total page 308 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A wrong number here, a case of mistaken identity there, a chance meeting with a stranger who knows your best friend. Most people dismiss such things as trivial, unimportant. Mere coincidence. Or could there be a hidden pattern in these seemingly random events? George Daly's life has been as unremarkable as most people's, until the day he finds himself going through his dead father's possessions. He discovers a photograph of himself as a boy, but he has no memory of where it was taken, nor does he recognize the people with him. As he investigates further, he experiences an increasingly bizarre chain of coincidences that soon threaten to unravel his whole world. Before long he finds himself fighting for his sanity and even his survival.

Download or read book Coincidence Or Destiny written by Phil Cousineau and published by Conari Press. This book was released on 2002-08-01 with total page 328 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Why coincidences happen and what they mean has long been an object of fascination. Here, Cousineau collects episodes of chance that defy explanation from the lives of real people. The author shows that recognizing synchronicity creates a deeper appreciation for the bonds that connect our lives.

Download or read book The Many Faces of Coincidence written by Laurence Browne and published by Andrews UK Limited. This book was released on 2017-11-10 with total page 262 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Although much has been said and written about coincidences, there is a marked absence when it comes to the development of a comprehensive model that incorporates the many different ways in which they can be understood and explained. One reason for this omission is undoubtedly the sharp divide that exists between those who find coincidences meaningful and those who do not, with the result that the conclusions of the many books and articles on the subject have tended to fall into distinct camps. The Many Faces of Coincidence attempts to remedy this impasse by proposing an inclusive categorisation for coincidences of all shapes and sizes. At the same time, some of the implications arising from the various explanations are explored, including the possibility of an underlying unity of mind and matter constituting the ground of being.

Download or read book The 7 1 2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle written by Stuart Turton and published by Sourcebooks, Inc.. This book was released on 2018-09-18 with total page 614 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Pop your favorite Agatha Christie whodunnit into a blender with a scoop of Downton Abbey, a dash of Quantum Leap, and a liberal sprinkling of Groundhog Day and you'll get this unique murder mystery." —Harper's Bazaar THE NATIONAL BESTSELLER! The 71⁄2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle is a breathlessly addictive mystery that follows one man's race to find a killer, with an astonishing time-turning twist that means nothing and no one are quite what they seem. Aiden Bishop knows the rules. Evelyn Hardcastle will die every day until he can identify her killer and break the cycle. But every time the day begins again, Aiden wakes up in the body of a different guest at Blackheath Manor. And some of his hosts are more helpful than others. With a locked-room mystery that Agatha Christie would envy, Stuart Turton unfurls a breakneck novel of intrigue and suspense. International bestselling author Stuart Turton delivers inventive twists in a thriller of such unexpected creativity it will leave readers guessing until the very last page. ALSO BY STUART TURTON: The Devil and the Dark Water The Last Murder at the End of the World

Download or read book Hidden in Plain View written by Lydia McGrew and published by Deward Publishing. This book was released on 2017-03-01 with total page 288 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Hidden in Plain View: Undesigned Coincidences in the Gospels and Acts revives an argument for the historical reliability of the New Testament that has been largely neglected for more than a hundred years. An undesigned coincidence is an apparently casual, yet puzzle-like -fit- between two or more texts, and its best explanation is that the authors knew the truth about the events they describe or allude to. Connections of this kind among passages in the Gospels, as well as between Acts and the Pauline epistles, give us reason to believe that these documents came from honest eyewitness sources, people -in the know- about the events they relate. Supported by careful research yet accessibly written, Hidden in Plain View provides solid evidence that all Christians can use to defend the Scriptures and the truth of Christianity.

Download or read book Civil War Curiosities written by Webb Garrison and published by GuildAmerica Books. This book was released on 1994 with total page 294 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This fascinating collection explores the unusual and often bizarre persons,attitudes, and events of the Civil War. Illustrated and indexed.

Download or read book Eve written by Wm. Paul Young and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2015-09-15 with total page 320 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: From the author of the twenty-five-million-copy bestseller The Shack comes a captivating new novel destined to be one of the most talked-about books of the decade. Eve is a bold, unprecedented exploration of the Creation narrative, true to the original texts and centuries of scholarship—yet with breathtaking discoveries that challenge traditional beliefs about who we are and how we’re made. Eve opens a refreshing conversation about the equality of men and women within the context of our beginnings, helping us see each other as our Creator does—complete, unique, and not constrained by cultural rules or limitations. When a shipping container washes ashore on an island between our world and the next, John the Collector finds a young woman inside—broken, frozen, and barely alive. With the aid of Healers and Scholars, John oversees her recovery and soon discovers that her genetic code connects her to every known race. No one would guess what her survival will mean… No one but Eve, Mother of the Living, who calls her “daughter” and invites her to witness the truth about her own story—indeed, the truth about us all. As The Shack awakened readers to a personal, non-religious understanding of God, Eve will free us from faulty interpretations that have corrupted human relationships since the Garden of Eden. Thoroughly researched and exquisitely written, Eve is a masterpiece that will inspire readers for generations to come.

Download or read book Football Oddities written by Tony Matthews and published by The History Press. This book was released on 2005-10-03 with total page 253 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The entire Ecuador team - all eleven players - were sent off in an international match in 1978! Because of a colour clash, Blackburn Rovers' players wore white evening dress shirts for their 1890 FA Cup final encounter with The Wednesday! In May 1950 Blackpool signed Billy Wright from a local junior club for a set of tangerine jerseys! These are just a few of the many hundreds of startling, unusual and improbable stories thrown up by the beautiful game over the years. In one of the most individual and irreverent collections of footballing facts ever produced, Tony Matthews has unearthed tales of the unexpected that will delight footy fans everywhere. Did you hear the one about the Argentine full-back who scored a hat-trick of own goals in less than an hour? Remember the England goalkeeper who was sent off after just twenty-seven seconds of a Premiership game in 1995? Read about them - and many, many others - here.

Download or read book Meaningful Coincidences written by Bernard Beitman and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2022-09-06 with total page 295 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A comprehensive exploration of the potential of coincidences to expand our understanding of reality and inspire psychological, interpersonal, and spiritual growth • Scientific and Medical Network's Annual Book Prize for 2022 • Presents a complete catalog of coincidence patterns with numerous illustrative examples • Defines the many uses and potential pitfalls of coincidences and highlights the situations in which they are most likely to occur • Explores the range of explanations for coincidences, including the psychosphere as the medium through which many coincidences take place Each of us has more to do with creating coincidences than we think. In this broad exploration of the potential of coincidences to expand our understanding of reality, psychiatrist Bernard Beitman, M.D., explores why and how coincidences, synchronicity, and serendipity happen and how to use these common occurrences to inspire psychological, interpersonal, and spiritual growth. Through a complete catalog of coincidence patterns with numerous illustrative examples, Dr. Beitman clarifies the relationship between synchronicity and serendipity and dissects the “anatomy of a coincidence.” He defines coincidence types through their two fundamental constituents--mental events and physical events. He analyzes the many uses of meaningful coincidences as well as their potential problems. He explains how you will see patterns guiding your life decisions and learn to expect that coincidences are more likely to occur during life stressors, as well as times of high emotion and strong need, which helps you be ready to use them when they occur. Exploring the crucial role of personal agency--individual thought and action--in synchronicities and serendipities, Dr. Beitman shows that there’s much more behind these occurrences than “fate” or “randomness.”

Download or read book A Dangerous Coincidence written by Holly Rosel and published by . This book was released on 2017-01-12 with total page 275 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "When Eve receives a mysterious and frightening message while snooping on her daughters chat room she is terrified and unsure what to do. Her best friend Jane convinces her to go on an undercover stakeout on Halloween. It definitely doesn't turn out as planned."

Download or read book Fluke written by Joseph Mazur and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2016-06-02 with total page 186 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: What are the chances?! This exclamation greets the scarcely believable coincidence – you’re picked up by the same taxi driver several years and thousands of miles apart or, in a second-hand bookshop far from home, you find your own childhood copy of Winnie-the-Pooh on the shelf. But the unlikely is more probable than you think. Against every fibre of common sense, the fact is that it’s quite likely that some squirrel, somewhere, will be struck by lightning as it crosses the road. The chaos and unpredictability of our lives is an illusion. There is a rational order to the universe, and it’s called mathematics. Fluke is a fascinating investigation into the true nature of chance, a must-read for maths enthusiasts and avid storytellers alike, it tears down the veil of improbability to reveal the wonderfully possible.

Download or read book More Than Just Coincidence written by Julie Wassmer and published by HarperCollins UK. This book was released on 2010-09-08 with total page 189 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Heartwarming, compelling and genuinely remarkable, More Than Just Coincidence is the true story of a mother who was reunited with her daughter, twenty years after she gave her up for adoption, in the most incredible of circumstances.

Download or read book The Divine Language of Coincidence written by Sophie Demas and published by Mascot Books. This book was released on 2021-03-02 with total page 304 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Sophia Demas did not want to get married, have children, or write a book; the Universe, however, had other plans. In this penetrating memoir, Sophia examines the events in her life that at first seemed to be a series of coincidences, but upon further consideration were building blocks of the miraculous. The Divine Language of Coincidence chronicles the extraordinary events experienced by an ordinary woman, asserting that miracles are not only possible, but far more common than we may realize.