Abstract
Although Bienaymé is now chiefly noted for his contributions to probability and mathematical statistics, he entered the area via the subject of demographic statistics. This route of entry is primarily a consequence of some 28 years spent as a civil servant in the Administration of Finances, where his attention would presumably have been focused on day-to-day problems in the area of official statistics. Additionally, as noted in §1.3, he rather lacked formal mathematical training but might have been influenced by Fourier, who occupied the post of director of the Bureau of Statistics of the department of the Seine from 1815 until his death in 1830.
Nor is the Peoples Judgment always true: The Most may err as grosly as the Few.
J. Dryden
See also §6.3.
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© 1977 Springer-Verlag New York Inc.
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Heyde, C.C., Seneta, E. (1977). Demography and social statistics. In: I. J. Bienaymé. Studies in the History of Mathematics and Physical Sciences, vol 3. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4684-9469-3_2
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4684-9469-3_2
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