Introduction

Before the theory of probability was formed Gambling was popular. Gamblers were crafty enough to figure simple laws of probability by witnessing the events at first hand. The opportunity was limitless in then exploiting the often complex and sometimes seemingly contradictory laws of probability.

In the seventeenth century Galileo wrote down some ideas about dice games. This led to discussions and papers which formed the earlier parts of probability theory. There were and have been a variety of contributors to probability theory since then but it is still one of the least understood areas of mathematics.

I originally published this site back in 1996. I did so because a lot of people I spoke to had little knowledge of elementary probability and I spend hours arguing with them about pretty basic laws of probability. I wrote the page as a reference point for people to get a grasp of some of these basics without me having to spend ages trying to prove it. My hope is that it will enrich a few people and will hopefully enable people to prove contradictions that often flow around concerning claims of laws of probability and associated events.

I also hope it will help people come to terms quickly with basic laws of probability and therefore avoid all the suffering many have had to endure!!

Most calculations are shown in spreadsheet style format (Mainly MS Excel) as people who read this are most likely to have access to this software. Please feel free to e-mail me if you wish to comment on this and other related pages. I can’t promise to reply to every e-mail I receive as I get too many, but I do promise to properly read every e-mail I get. To be completely honest I really don't have the time to reply to specific queries but email me any way and you never know your luck. If I am having a slow day or your query hits the right note I may just find the time to respond.

Probability Topics

Galileo had some early ideas about dice games.