Skip to main content

Probability: From Games of Chance to an Abstract Theory

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Turning Points in the History of Mathematics

Part of the book series: Compact Textbooks in Mathematics ((CTM))

  • 3220 Accesses

Abstract

Probability, like various other mathematical concepts and theories, emerged from the desire to solve real-world problems—in this case, to provide a mathematical framework for games of chance and for gambling. One must of course distinguish between “probability” as a concept and “probability” as a subject. We have occasionally used “probability theory” for the latter term. Normally “probability” is used for both concept and theory, the context making clear which is intended. Gambling is a long-standing activity, going back over three thousand years and engaged in by all civilizations.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

eBook
USD 19.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 29.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

References

  1. Berlinghoff, W.P., Gouvêa, F.Q.: Math Through the Ages: A Gentle History for Teachers and others, expanded edition. Mathematical Association of America, Washington DC (2004)

    Google Scholar 

  2. Bernoulli, J.: The Art of Conjecturing (Ars Conjectandi), The Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore (2006). (Translated from the Latin (1713), with an introduction and notes, by E. D. Sylla.)

    Google Scholar 

  3. David, F.N.: Games, Gods, and Gambling. Hafner (1962)

    Google Scholar 

  4. Devlin, K.: The Unfinished Game: Pascal, Fermat, and the Seventeenth-Century Letter that Made the World Modern. Basic Books, New York (2008)

    Google Scholar 

  5. Edwards, A.W.F.: Pascal’s Arithmetical Triangle. Oxford University Press, Oxford (1987)

    MATH  Google Scholar 

  6. Eves, H.: Great Moments in Mathematics (After 1650). Mathematical Association of America (1981)

    Google Scholar 

  7. Gillies, D.: Philosophical Theories of Probability. Routledge, London (2000)

    Google Scholar 

  8. Hacking, I.: The Emergence of Probability: A Philosophical Study of Early Ideas About Probability, Induction and Statistical Inference. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge (1975)

    MATH  Google Scholar 

  9. Hald, A.: History of Probability and Statistics and Their Applications Before 1750. Wiley, Hoboken (2003)

    Google Scholar 

  10. Katz, V.: A History of Mathematics: An Introduction, 3rd edn. Addison-Wesley, Boston (2009)

    Google Scholar 

  11. Kolmogorov, A.N.: Foundations of the Theory of Probability, 2nd edn. Chelsea, New York (1956)

    Google Scholar 

  12. Laplace, P.S.: A Philosophical Essay on Probabilities, Translated from the 6th French edn. Dover, Addison-Wesley, Boston (1951) (orig. 1819)

    Google Scholar 

  13. Ore, O.: Cardano, The Gambling Scholar. Dover, New York (1965)

    Article  MathSciNet  MATH  Google Scholar 

  14. Ore, O.: Pascal and the invention of probability theory. Amer. Math. Mon. 67, 409–419 (1960)

    Google Scholar 

  15. Rényi, A.: Letters on Probability. Wayne State University Press, Detroit (1972)

    Google Scholar 

  16. Todhunter, I.: A History of the Mathematical Theory of Probability from the Time of Pascal to that of Laplace. Chelsea (1949) (orig. 1865)

    Google Scholar 

  17. von Mises, R.: Probability, Statistics and Truth. Dover New York (1951)

    Google Scholar 

Further Reading

  1. Edwards, C.H.: The Historical Development of the Calculus. Springer, New York (1979)

    Google Scholar 

  2. Mahoney, M.: The Mathematical Career of Pierre de Fermat, 2nd edn. Princeton University Press, Princeton (1994)

    Google Scholar 

  3. Stigler, S.M.: Statistics on the Table: The History of Statistical Concepts and Methods. Harvard University Press, Harvard, Cambridge (1999)

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Hardy Grant .

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2015 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Grant, H., Kleiner, I. (2015). Probability: From Games of Chance to an Abstract Theory. In: Turning Points in the History of Mathematics. Compact Textbooks in Mathematics. Birkhäuser, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-3264-1_4

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics