Duelling Idiots and Other Probability Puzzlers

item received in excellent condition at a good price

There are plenty of good tough problems in this book, but readers are going to need some undergraduate maths to fully appreciate it. One of the things I like about this, and other Nahin books is that he's not afraid to pack them with equations, but you don't need a Ph.D. to enjoy them.

The best puzzle books start with problems that are interesting and non trivial, and offer unexpected solutions. They appeal to a crowd with different levels of education and offer a new idea or two to all. They will lead an unsuspecting layman to a new beautiful mathematical subject, and treat a pro with a lighthearted yet technically sound look at the concepts he is already familiar with."Dueling idiots" is none of that. To read it you must be more than familiar with probability theory, and at ease with going through rather tedious calculations and using mathlab. Yet all a sophisticated reader finds here is technical sloppiness and absence of fresh ideas.I am giving it two stars rather than one because it could provide some probability theory buff with a nice set of "real life" applications -- good as an auxiliary text book for an undergraduate probability class e.g. Apart from that, you will find a better puzzle book almost anywhere you look.

I bought the book after reading the kindle sample.I find in the first section of the full version that this book might be useful "as a supplement as you take an elementary course in probability"... "If you don't know what that sentence said, this book may be just a bit too much for you, at least for now."Ouch. I was looking for something a little simpler...My suggestion: if you're a noob like me, stay away, even if you found the kindle sample interesting.At least until you finish your elementary course in probability.