Unexpected expectations : the curiosities of a mathematical crystal ball / Leonard M. Wapner.

"An A K Peters book."

Includes bibliographical references (p. 193-198) and index.

1. Looking back -- 2. The ABCs of E -- 3. Doing the right thing -- 4. Aversion perversion -- 5. And the envelope please! -- 6. Parrondo's paradox : you can win for losing -- 7. Imperfect recall -- 8. Non-zero-sum games : the inadequacy of individual rationality -- 9. Newcomb's paradox -- 10. Benford's law.

"Mathematical expectation or expected value represents the long-term average numerical outcome to an experiment performed a large number of times. Routinely used in the physical sciences, business, and economics, mathematical expectation has also been used to calculate strategies in games of chance and even to justify the belief in God. How can this expression, which is trivial to calculate, have such broad applications and at the same time yield unexpected irresolvable paradoxes? In an easily accessible presentation, this book explores these puzzling and entertaining mysteries"-- Provided by publisher.

Also available as an electronic resource.