Persi Diaconis
American mathematician and statistician known for foundational work in probability, random processes, and the mathematics of card shuffling and coin tossing; a former professional magician and longtime professor at Stanford University.
Books
This list of books are ONLY the books that have been ranked on the lists that are aggregated on this site. This is not a comprehensive list of all books by this author.
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1. Ten Great Ideas About Chance
A concise tour of ten foundational ideas that shaped our understanding of chance, blending history, mathematics, and philosophy to show how modern probability emerged. It traces the roles of symmetry, frequency, and subjective belief; explains the law of large numbers and limit phenomena; contrasts Bayesian and frequentist inference and the value of randomized experiments; explores exchangeability and Markov chains to reveal how order can arise from randomness; and examines concepts like entropy, algorithmic randomness, and strategic interaction. Throughout, it connects these ideas to scientific reasoning, data analysis, and everyday decision-making.