Group items tagged math - NYU Probability Summer 2009

How maths killed Lehman Brothers - 0 views

plus.maths.org/...index.html

probability finance risk banks v63.0233.2009Su

shared by Sam V on 14 Jul 09 - Cached

Sam V on 14 Jul 09

Plus Maths Magazine: Feature Article. A look at what might have happened to a certain large bank -the probabilities of default turned out to be a lot higher than expected!

<div class="cArrow"> </div><div class="cContentInner">Plus Maths Magazine: Feature Article. A look at what might have happened to a certain large bank -the probabilities of default turned out to be a lot higher than expected!</div>

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Stupid Math Tricks - 0 views

cactus.eas.asu.edu/...04-23-Math.htm

shared by Matthew Leingang on 27 Jul 09 - Cached

Matthew Leingang on 27 Jul 09

I have no Erdos number as I have not published any joint papers. Also, I'm offended with the slander against Kevin Bacon as a "not too well known American actor." Have you ever heard of Footloose?

<div class="cArrow"> </div><div class="cContentInner">I have no Erdos number as I have not published any joint papers. Also, I'm offended with the slander against Kevin Bacon as a "not too well known American actor." Have you ever heard of Footloose?</div>

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Flora Kwong on 28 Jul 09

I like the math joke at the beginning.

<div class="cArrow"> </div><div class="cContentInner">I like the math joke at the beginning.</div>

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Math and the City - Olivia Judson Blog - NYTimes.com - 0 views

judson.blogs.nytimes.com/...math-and-the-city

probability V63.0233.2009SU zipf zeta nature sociology

shared by Sam V on 31 Jul 09 - Cached

Sam V on 31 Jul 09

Evidence of a surprising mathematical pattern (Zipf Distribution) in both the relative populations of cities and the calories burned by mice.

<div class="cArrow"> </div><div class="cContentInner">Evidence of a surprising mathematical pattern (Zipf Distribution) in both the relative populations of cities and the calories burned by mice.</div>

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Matthew Leingang on 03 Aug 09

That's very cool. I hadn't known anything about the Zipf Distribution before.

<div class="cArrow"> </div><div class="cContentInner">That's very cool. I hadn't known anything about the Zipf Distribution before.</div>

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Flora Kwong on 03 Aug 09

Whoa. I guess humans are more in tune with their surroundings than we think.

<div class="cArrow"> </div><div class="cContentInner">Whoa. I guess humans are more in tune with their surroundings than we think.</div>

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Some Really Hard Probability Problems - 0 views

ocw.mit.edu/...prob.pdf

shared by Matthew Leingang on 21 Jul 09 - No Cached

Marc Tourangeau on 21 Jul 09

I pulled this up from the MIT Open CourseWare page under their Problem Solving class. I think they use problems of this caliber to prepare for the Putnam exam.

<div class="cArrow"> </div><div class="cContentInner">I pulled this up from the MIT Open CourseWare page under their Problem Solving class. I think they use problems of this caliber to prepare for the Putnam exam.</div>

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...2 more comments...
Sam V on 21 Jul 09

I wonder if we as a class could take on this one... 3. An unfair coin (probability p of showing heads) is tossed n times. What is the probability that the number of heads will be even?

<div class="cArrow"> </div><div class="cContentInner">I wonder if we as a class could take on this one... 3. An unfair coin (probability p of showing heads) is tossed n times. What is the probability that the number of heads will be even?</div>

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Matthew Leingang on 21 Jul 09

That's a great idea. First, try it for specific values of n. If n=1, then the number of heads is even if it's 0, so P(even) = 1-p. If n=2, you could have 0 or 2 heads, so P(even) = (1-p)^2 +p^2 = 1-2p. Obviously there's going to be some kind of binomial identity, but what?

<div class="cArrow"> </div><div class="cContentInner">That's a great idea. First, try it for specific values of n. If n=1, then the number of heads is even if it's 0, so P(even) = 1-p. If n=2, you could have 0 or 2 heads, so P(even) = (1-p)^2 +p^2 = 1-2p. Obviously there's going to be some kind of binomial identity, but what?</div>

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Matthew Leingang on 22 Jul 09

OK, I now know two ways to solve this. The first way was along the lines you described in the break to me, Sam. It makes more sense than I originally thought, and with your Discrete Math knowhow you might be able to solve it. There's also a clever way, which I admit I didn't figure out until I solved it the other way.

<div class="cArrow"> </div><div class="cContentInner">OK, I now know two ways to solve this. The first way was along the lines you described in the break to me, Sam. It makes more sense than I originally thought, and with your Discrete Math knowhow you might be able to solve it. There's also a clever way, which I admit I didn't figure out until I solved it the other way.</div>

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Matthew Leingang on 22 Jul 09

That's a great list of problems btw!

<div class="cArrow"> </div><div class="cContentInner">That's a great list of problems btw!</div>

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YouTube - Math: Conditional Probability - 0 views

www.youtube.com/watch

conditional probability OJ Simpson interesting v63.0233.2009Su

shared by jake cleman on 14 Jul 09 - Cached

Matthew Leingang liked it

jake cleman on 14 Jul 09

Interesting but a little morbid.

<div class="cArrow"> </div><div class="cContentInner">Interesting but a little morbid.</div>

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jake cleman on 14 Jul 09

Interesting but a little morbid.

<div class="cArrow"> </div><div class="cContentInner">Interesting but a little morbid.</div>

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Flora Kwong on 20 Jul 09

That's creepy.

<div class="cArrow"> </div><div class="cContentInner">That's creepy.</div>

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The Mathematics of Magic: The Gathering - 0 views

www.kibble.net/magic01.php

shared by Matthew Leingang on 04 Jul 09 - Cached

- Matthew Leingang on 06 Jul 09
  
  Interesting point. I think there's a lot of math behind designing any popular game involving chance. For instance, legend has it the game High-Ho Cherry-O! was engineered to make the expected game length about equal to the attention span of the children playing it. Here you have a case of designers not understanding the game they were developing. Casino games seem simple enough to attract interest (and pay often enough to keep it) but still manage to benefit the house.
  
  <div class="cArrow"> </div><div class="cContentInner">Interesting point. I think there's a lot of math behind designing any popular game involving chance. For instance, legend has it the game High-Ho Cherry-O! was engineered to make the expected game length about equal to the attention span of the children playing it. Here you have a case of designers not understanding the game they were developing. Casino games seem simple enough to attract interest (and pay often enough to keep it) but still manage to benefit the house.</div>
  
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The Probability Web: Quotations - 0 views

www.mathcs.carleton.edu/...quotes.html

math probability thoughts philosophy quotations v63.0233.2009su

shared by Sam V on 06 Aug 09 - Cached

Sam V on 06 Aug 09

A collection of notable quotes regarding probability.

<div class="cArrow"> </div><div class="cContentInner">A collection of notable quotes regarding probability.</div>

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For Today's Graduate, Just One Word - Statistics - NYTimes.com - 0 views

www.nytimes.com/...06stats.html

v63.0233.2009Su probability article interesting

shared by Matthew Leingang on 06 Aug 09 - Cached

Matthew Leingang on 06 Aug 09

This is for those who wondered what a degree in math can get!

<div class="cArrow"> </div><div class="cContentInner">This is for those who wondered what a degree in math can get!</div>

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Matthew Leingang on 06 Aug 09

The rising stature of statisticians, who can earn $125,000 at top companies in their first year after getting a doctorate, is a byproduct of the recent explosion of digital data. In field after field, computing and the Web are creating new realms of data to explore - sensor signals, surveillance tapes, social network chatter, public records and more. And the digital data surge only promises to accelerate, rising fivefold by 2012, according to a projection by IDC, a research firm.

<div class="cArrow"> </div><div class="cContentInner">The rising stature of statisticians, who can earn $125,000 at top companies in their first year after getting a doctorate, is a byproduct of the recent explosion of digital data. In field after field, computing and the Web are creating new realms of data to explore - sensor signals, surveillance tapes, social network chatter, public records and more. And the digital data surge only promises to accelerate, rising fivefold by 2012, according to a projection by IDC, a research firm.</div>

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Glen Whitney's quest for a math museum : The New Yorker - 0 views

www.newyorker.com/...090803ta_talk_paumgarten

v63.0233.2009Su mathematics interesting

shared by Matthew Leingang on 05 Aug 09 - Cached

Matthew Leingang on 05 Aug 09

Not so much relevant to probability but a nice story and it mentions an NYU professor.

<div class="cArrow"> </div><div class="cContentInner">Not so much relevant to probability but a nice story and it mentions an NYU professor.</div>

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Bill the Lizard: Six Visual Proofs - 0 views

www.billthelizard.com/...six-visual-proofs_25.html

math visualisation v63.0233.2009Su

shared by Sam V on 06 Aug 09 - No Cached

Sam V on 06 Aug 09

Visual proofs of some series. Not 100% related to probability but neat nonetheless. For example, check out the illustration of 1 + 2 + 3 + ... + n = n * (n+1) / 2

<div class="cArrow"> </div><div class="cContentInner">Visual proofs of some series. Not 100% related to probability but neat nonetheless. For example, check out the illustration of 1 + 2 + 3 + ... + n = n * (n+1) / 2</div>

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Probability Web - 1 views

www.mathcs.carleton.edu/probweb

math probability statistics v63.0233.2009su