Articles

Understanding uncertainty: The maths of surprises

You meet an old friend on holiday, you find your colleague shares your birthday, you win the lottery. Exactly how rare are these rare events? David Spiegelhalter investigates in his regular column on uncertainty and risk.
If we all go for the blondeJosé-Manuel Rey revisits a scene of the film A beautiful Mind.
Editorial
  • I need maths like a carburettor recalibration

  • The 118 188 challenge
Maths on a planePhil Trinh discovers how maths helps solve the mysteries of flight and love.
The amazing librarianJosefina Alvarez describes the workings of the most famous search engine of them all. You'll need some linear algebra for this one, but it's worth the while!
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Beyond MeasureConversations across science and art
Outer space: How to rig an electionIt's easier than you think
Blowin' in the wind: solution
Plus Magazine
Understanding uncertainty: The Premier League

This is the second part of our new column on risk and uncertainty. David Spiegelhalter, Winton Professor for the Public Understanding of Risk at the University of Cambridge, continues examining league tables using the Premier League as an example. Find out just how much — or how little — these simple rankings can tell you.
Editorial
  • The league table lottery
  • Plus and presidents
What do you think you're worth?Bonuses are a fact of business life. Last year the Guardian newspaper calculated that the cash rewards paid to London's financial chiefs comfortably outstripped the UK's entire transport budget. With such large sums at stake, envy is bound to raise its ugly head, nver a good thing for company morale. So how should you decide who gets how much? Steven J. Brams suggests a method that's not only fair, but also encourages honesty.