BABBAGE'S ONLY PAPER ON PROBABILITY

BABBAGE, CHARLES

An examination of some questions connected with games of chance (+) On the Application of Analysis to the Discovery of Local Theorems and Porisms.

Edinburgh, William & Charles Tait / London, Longman, etc, 1823. 4to. In recent marbled paper wrappers. Extracted from "Trans. Roy. Soc. Edinburgh" 9, pt. 1 (1821). Leaves reinforced in margin. Pp. (6), 153-177, 337-352.

First Edition of Babbage's only paper on probability. "In this paper [Babbage's] concern was primarily mathematical, and we will find considerable skill in the manipulation of functions and polynomials. [...] The major interest in this particular paper [is] the ingenious use of algebra to solve probability problems, especially the devices using the coefficients of polynomials and the roots of unity" (Dubbey, The Mathematical Work of Charles Babbage, pp. 141-42).

Erwin Tomash B22

Order-nr.: 56997