Book Review: What’S Luck Got To Do With It? The History, Mathematics, And Psychology Of The Gambler’S Illusion By Joseph Mazur,
2011
University of California, Berkeley
Book Review: What’S Luck Got To Do With It? The History, Mathematics, And Psychology Of The Gambler’S Illusion By Joseph Mazur, Michael Lugo
Journal of Humanistic Mathematics
This review of Joseph Mazur's book on the history of gambling, for a general audience, is in three parts, paralleling the structure of the book. The first part briefly outlines Mazur's coverage of the history of probability from prehistory to the present day, with a focus on gambling. The second part examines the relationship between the mathematics of gambling and probability theory, and summarizes classical problems in probability arising from gambling such as Galileo's dice and the Pascal-Fermat problem of points. The third part, on psychology, discusses the gambler's illusion and psychological motivations for gambling.
Computational Insight With Monte Carlo Simulations,
2011
CUNY New York City College of Technology
Computational Insight With Monte Carlo Simulations, Boyan Kostadinov
Publications and Research
We introduce Monte Carlo simulations for estimating areas by playing a game of "darts". We also introduce simulations of random walks. We use compact, vectorized programming, based on the R language, for all computer simulations and visualizations, aimed at high school students. This presentation is based on the Invited, prime time lecture given at the summer camp for gifted high school students at City College of New York, July 13, 2011.
Analysis Of The 2008 Flare Of Markarian 421 Flare With Veritas,
2011
California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo
Analysis Of The 2008 Flare Of Markarian 421 Flare With Veritas, Casey Allard
Physics
A theoretical light curve model is fit to an observed short term flare of Markarian (Mrk) 421 in the very high energy spectrum. The flare is characterized by its measured light curve from the Very Energetic Radiation Imaging telescope Array System (VERITAS). The flare we analyzed occurred in May 2008. We successfully fit a theoretical model to the Mrk 421 data light curve. The data appears to agree with the Wagner [1] and Salvati [2] models. These models appear to fit both broad and sharp flaring regions found in the measured light curve. Furthermore the Wagner model is used to …
Markov Bases For Noncommutative Harmonic Analysis Of Partially Ranked Data,
2011
Harvey Mudd College
Markov Bases For Noncommutative Harmonic Analysis Of Partially Ranked Data, Ann Johnston
HMC Senior Theses
Given the result $v_0$ of a survey and a nested collection of summary statistics that could be used to describe that result, it is natural to ask which of these summary statistics best describe $v_0$. In 1998 Diaconis and Sturmfels presented an approach for determining the conditional significance of a higher order statistic, after sampling a space conditioned on the value of a lower order statistic. Their approach involves the computation of a Markov basis, followed by the use of a Markov process with stationary hypergeometric distribution to generate a sample.This technique for data analysis has become an accepted tool …
Martingale Couplings And Bounds On Tails Of Probability Distributions,
2011
Harvey Mudd College
Martingale Couplings And Bounds On Tails Of Probability Distributions, Kyle Luh
HMC Senior Theses
Wassily Hoeffding, in his 1963 paper, introduces a procedure to derive inequalities between distributions. This method relies on finding a martingale coupling between the two random variables. I have developed a construction that establishes such couplings in various urn models. I use this construction to prove the inequality between the hypergeometric and binomial random variables that appears in Hoeffding's paper. I have then used and extended my urn construction to create new inequalities.
Embodied Emissions Abatement: A Policy Assessment Using Stochastic Analysis,
2011
Technological University Dublin
Embodied Emissions Abatement: A Policy Assessment Using Stochastic Analysis, Adolf Acquaye, Aidan Duffy, Biswajit Basu
Articles
Policymakers traditionally focus on regulating operational energy use in buildings, ignoring other life cycle components such as embodied energy even though this may account for a significant portion of life cycle emissions. Data relating to embodied energy and emissions in buildings is limited. However, stochastic techniques can be used to estimate the distribution of such emissions from buildings. This helps policymakers identify which instruments are appropriate for achieving emissions reductions. A primary aim of this paper is to demonstrate this approach using a sample of apartment buildings in Ireland. A Monte-Carlo simulation suggests that the average probability distribution of embodied …
Stochastic Hybrid Embodied Co2-Eq Analysis: An Application To The Irish Apartment Building Sector,
2011
Technological University Dublin
Stochastic Hybrid Embodied Co2-Eq Analysis: An Application To The Irish Apartment Building Sector, Adolf Acquaye, Aidan Duffy, Biswajit Basu
Articles
Although embodiedCO2-eq analysis has seen recent developments as evident in the establishment of the ISO14040 and 14044 LCA standards, it is recognized that due to weaknesses in gathering data on product-related emissions,embodiedCO2-eq values are probabilistic. This paper presents a stochastic analysis of hybrid embodied CO2-eq in buildings to account for this weakness in traditional methods and, by way of example, applies it to an Irish construction-sector case study. Using seven apartment buildings, 70,000 results are simulated with Monte Carlo analysis and used to derive probabilistic and cumulative embodied CO2-eq intensity distributions for apartment buildings in Ireland. A Wakeby distribution with …
Overcoming Pose Limitations Of A Skin-Cued Histograms Of Oriented Gradients Dismount Detector Through Contextual Use Of Skin Islands And Multiple Support Vector Machines,
2011
Air Force Institute of Technology
Overcoming Pose Limitations Of A Skin-Cued Histograms Of Oriented Gradients Dismount Detector Through Contextual Use Of Skin Islands And Multiple Support Vector Machines, Jonathon R. Climer
Theses and Dissertations
This thesis provides a novel visualization method to analyze the impact that articulations in dismount pose and camera aspect angle have on histograms of oriented gradients (HOG) features and eventual detections. Insights from these relationships are used to identify limitations in a state of the art skin cued HOG dismount detector's ability to detect poses not in a standard upright stances. Improvements to detector performance are made by further leveraging available skin information, reducing false detections by an additional order of magnitude. In addition, a method is outlined for training supplemental support vector machines (SVMs) from computer generated data, for …
Drag Reduction Of A Modern Straight Truck,
2011
Old Dominion University
Drag Reduction Of A Modern Straight Truck, Drew Landman, Matthew Cragun, Mike Mccormick, Richard Wood
Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Faculty Publications
A wind tunnel test program was conducted at the Langley Full Scale Tunnel (LFST) to evaluate the performance of five passive drag reduction configurations on a modern straight truck at full scale. Configurations were tested in a build-up fashion with results representing a cumulative effect. Tested configurations include a front valance, a front box fairing, a boat-tail, an ideal side-skirt, and a practical side-skirt. Configurations were evaluated over a nominal 9 degree yaw sweep to establish wind averaged drag coefficients using SAE J1252. Genuine replicate yaw sweeps were used in an uncertainty analysis. Results show up to 28% improvement in …
An Approximate Analytical Solution Of The Fractional Diffusion Equation With External Force And Different Type Of Absorbent Term - Revisited,
2010
Banaras Hindu University
An Approximate Analytical Solution Of The Fractional Diffusion Equation With External Force And Different Type Of Absorbent Term - Revisited, S. Das, R. Kumar, P. K. Gupta
Applications and Applied Mathematics: An International Journal (AAM)
In this article Homotopy Perturbation Method (HPM) is applied to obtain an approximate analytical solution of a fractional diffusion equation with an external force and a reaction term different from the reaction term used by Das and Gupta (2010). The anomalous behavior of diffusivity in presence or absence of linear external force due to the presence of this force of reaction term are obtained and presented graphically.
The Generation Of Domestic Electricity Load Profiles Through Markov Chain Modelling,
2010
Technological University Dublin
The Generation Of Domestic Electricity Load Profiles Through Markov Chain Modelling, Aidan Duffy, Fintan Mcloughlin, Michael Conlon
Conference Papers
Micro-generation technologies such as photovoltaics and micro-wind power are becoming increasing popular among homeowners, mainly a result of policy support mechanisms helping to improve cost competiveness as compared to traditional fossil fuel generation. National government strategies to reduce electricity demand generated from fossil fuels and to meet European Union 20/20 targets is driving this change. However, the real performance of these technologies in a domestic setting is not often known as high time resolution models for domestic electricity load profiles are not readily available. As a result, projections in terms of reducing electricity demand and financial paybacks for these micro-generation …
Probabilities In Probable Cause And Beyond: Statistical Versus Concrete Harms,
2010
Cornell Law School
Probabilities In Probable Cause And Beyond: Statistical Versus Concrete Harms, Sherry F. Colb
Cornell Law Faculty Publications
No abstract provided.
General Coupon Collecting Models And Multinomial Games,
2010
University of Nevada Las Vegas
General Coupon Collecting Models And Multinomial Games, James Y. Lee
UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones
The coupon collection problem is one of the most studied problems in statistics. It is the problem of collecting r (r<∞) distinct coupons one by one from k different kinds (k<∞) of coupons. We note that this is equivalent to the classical occupancy problem which involves the random allocation of r distinct balls into k distinct cells. Although the problem was first introduced centuries ago, it is still actively investigated today. Perhaps its greatest feature is its versatility, numerous approaches, and countless variations. For this reason, we are particularly interested in creating a classification system for the many generalizations of the coupon collection problem. In this thesis, we will introduce models that will be able to categorize these generalizations. In addition, we calculate the waiting time for the models under consideration. Our approach is to use the Dirichlet Type II integral. We compare our calculations to the ones obtained through Monte Carlo simulation. Our results will show that our models and the method used to find the waiting times are ideal for solving problems of this type.
Determining The Success Of Ncaa Basketball Teams Through Team Characteristics,
2010
Bryant University
Determining The Success Of Ncaa Basketball Teams Through Team Characteristics, Raymond Witkos
Honors Projects in Mathematics
Every year much of the nation becomes engulfed in the NCAA basketball postseason tournament more affectionately known as “March Madness.” The tournament has received the name because of the ability for any team to win a single game and advance to the next round. The purpose of this study is to determine whether concrete statistical measures can be used to predict the final outcome of the tournament. The data collected in the study include 13 independent variables ranging from the 2003-2004 season up until the current 2009-2010 season. Different tests were run in an attempt to achieve the most accurate …
Predictive Modeling Of Alumni Donor Behavior,
2010
Bryant University
Predictive Modeling Of Alumni Donor Behavior, Lauren Prue
Honors Projects in Mathematics
In recent years, college and universities have relied increasingly upon the charitable contributions of its previous graduates; as the costs of tuition rise substantially, development offices are facing the challenge of creating annual fund campaigns that are minimally expensive while providing the maximum potential for return. This study addresses the available constituent database at one University in particular in an effort to identify what criteria are the strongest predictors of donor response at a small, private university located within New England. The analysis utilized predictive modeling and data-mining largely within the software program Rapid Insight to build several models in …
Economic Risk Assessment Using The Fractal Market Hypothesis,
2010
Technological University Dublin
Economic Risk Assessment Using The Fractal Market Hypothesis, Jonathan Blackledge, Marek Rebow
Conference papers
This paper considers the Fractal Market Hypothesi (FMH) for assessing the risk(s) in developing a financial portfolio based on data that is available through the Internet from an increasing number of sources. Most financial risk management systems are still based on the Efficient Market Hypothesis which often fails due to the inaccuracies of the statistical models that underpin the hypothesis, in particular, that financial data are based on stationary Gaussian processes. The FMH considered in this paper assumes that financial data are non-stationary and statistically self-affine so that a risk analysis can, in principal, be applied at any time scale …
The Joint Distribution Of Bivariate Exponential Under Linearly Related Model,
2010
Old Dominion University
The Joint Distribution Of Bivariate Exponential Under Linearly Related Model, Norou Diawara, Kumer Pial Das
Mathematics & Statistics Faculty Publications
In this paper, fundamental results of the joint distribution of the bivariate exponential distributions are established. The positive support multivariate distribution theory is important in reliability and survival analysis, and we applied it to the case where more than one failure or survival is observed in a given study. Usually, the multivariate distribution is restricted to those with marginal distributions of a specified and familiar lifetime family. The family of exponential distribution contains the absolutely continuous and discrete case models with a nonzero probability on a set of measure zero. Examples are given, and estimators are developed and applied to …
Statistical Modelling And Inference For A Class Of Bivariate And Related Distributions.,
2010
Universiti Malaya
Statistical Modelling And Inference For A Class Of Bivariate And Related Distributions., Ng Choung Min
Student Works (2010-2019)
This thesis considers bivariate extension of the Meixner class of distributions by the method of generalized trivariate reduction so that the marginal distributions have different parameters; in particular, a new bivariate negative binomial (BNB) distribution is examined. Different marginal parameters allow flexibility in statistical modelling and simulation studies when different marginal distributions and a specified correlation are required. The multivariate extension of this class of distributions is also given. Specifically, various interesting properties of the proposed BNB distribution, such as canonical expansion and quadrant dependence are examined. In addition, potential applications of the proposed distribution, as a bivariate mixed Poisson …
Linear Dependency For The Difference In Exponential Regression,
2010
Old Dominion University
Linear Dependency For The Difference In Exponential Regression, Indika Sathish, Norou Diawara
Mathematics & Statistics Faculty Publications
In the field of reliability, a lot has been written on the analysis of phenomena that are related. Estimation of the difference of two population means have been mostly formulated under the no-correlation assumption. However, in many situations, there is a correlation involved. This paper addresses this issue. A sequential estimation method for linearly related lifetime distributions is presented. Estimations for the scale parameters of the exponential distribution are given under square error loss using a sequential prediction method. Optimal stopping rules are discussed using concepts of mean criteria, and numerical results are presented.
Probability Models For Blackjack Poker,
2010
Old Dominion University
Probability Models For Blackjack Poker, Charlie H. Cooke
Mathematics & Statistics Faculty Publications
For simplicity in calculation, previous analyses of blackjack poker have employed models which employ sampling with replacement. in order to assess what degree of error this may induce, the purpose here is to calculate results for a typical hand where sampling without replacement is employed. It is seen that significant error can result when long runs are required to complete the hand. The hand examined is itself of particular interest, as regards both its outstanding expectations of high yield and certain implications for pair splitting of two nines against the dealer's seven. Theoretical and experimental methods are used in order …
