Do You Feel Lucky?
Suitable for ages 10 upwards
What are the chances of:
- tossing a coin ten times and always getting "heads"
- a pigeon splattering you at the station
- winning the lottery
- throwing 3 doubles and going to jail in Monopoly?
- a monkey typing this book?
Discover all the secrets of being lucky or unlucky including
what factorials are and the amazing Pascal's triangle.
We also help the terribly lovely Veronica Gumfloss sort out her
boyfriend selection, we find out how many ways there are to eat the Friday Special
at The Ravenous Rajah, we see the Great Rhun of Jepatti play a really mean trick,
and see why Weasel and Chainsaw end up doing the dishes.
Don't forget to click the EXTRA
links for more details that we didn't have room for in the books!
CONTENTS:
One Day in the Forgotten Desert
Urgum the Axeman and Grizelda the Grisley are fighting it out for each other's
scalps - but Thag the Mathemagician suggests throwing a die instead. But is the
game really fair?
Before We Enter the Strange World of Probability...
As we see Pongo McWhiffy attempt to entice the terribly lovely Veronica
Gumfloss on a date, we learn lots of words such as probable, unlikely, evens, odds,
dead cert and "spawny tinker". We then find how all chances must add to 1, how the
Gollarks nearly blow themselves up and a pigeon's chances of successfully dive
bombing people on station platforms.
How Not To Lose Your Trousers
Binky Smallbrains shows why gambling is for mugs - and we discover the true
story of "The man who broke the bank at Monte Carlo"
Fair Play
Snakes and ladders isn't the same when you play with Riverboat Lil and Brett Shuffler!
They explain what "odds" are and how you can use them to make simple games involving
tossing coins or dice fair. We also use a "tree diagram" to stop Professor Fiendish
winning with one of his diabolical cheating games!
Heads or Dishes
The gangsters toss a coin to settle a restaurant bill, but why doesn't it have to land
on heads half the time? The mystery of coins is explained with a visit to Pongo McWhiffy's
vest drawer. (Not recommended for the faint hearted.)
One of the Most Gorgeous Things in Maths
Pascal's Triangle is so simple to draw out, yet it sorts out all sorts of unlikely and
amazing problems including tossing coins, Pongo's burger bar and yet another diabolical
Fiendish trap.
EXTRA - The Fabulous Pascal's Triangle
Perms, Coms, Curries, Burgers, Bells and the Lottery
When you read a book about probability, you can be pretty sure that somebody will
come up to you and ask "Oooh! Will I win the lottery?" To get the answer, this
chapter explains all about
"combinations" and along the way we'll generate some amazing sums involving hundreds of
numbers, which you'll be able to work out in seconds without a calculator ! And how
do Pascal's Triangle, Veronica's boyfriends and church bells all get involved?
EXTRA - More Lottery Chances
EXTRA - Why does 0! =1 ?
Dice Dates and Devious Decks
Meet the Chevalier de Mere- a 17th century gambler whose dice inspired the whole subject
of probability. Find out the odds on Monopoly, play Brett and Lil's Vicious Circle game
and then prepare for a shock involving your friends birthdays. Finally the biggest
numbers in this book appear, and you can make your own bit of history!
EXTRA - Chances of Card Hands
When Meteors Collide and Monkeys Type
Some things are so unlikely that they seem impossible - but are they? What are the chances
that a monkey typed this book?
Making PI with a Cocktail Stick
An amazing experiment to produce a value for "PI". It's a lot more fun
than massive long formulas!
Adding Adders
There's a mud hole full of swamp adders. You can't get to the ones at the bottom,
so how do you count them all? Lil and Brett show you how!
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Some Odd Odds
Lightning striking twice, finding a clean pair of socks and the cannon shoot out
between Urgum and Grizelda. Strange stuff!
Spots Spinners and Silver Dollars
One or two crafty little games that look fair but you'll win!
The Great Rhun's Golden Egg
Quite the nastiest trick in this book! Don't try it.
So What Do You Think Now?
When you think about the chances of life elsewhere in the universe -
you'll feel lucky to be here.
LINKS:
The Murderous Maths Bookshop
The Murderous Maths Books
Murderous Maths Main Index Page