Creating Modern Probability

This is the only book to chart the history and development of modern probability theory. It shows how in the first thirty years of this century probability theory became a mathematical science. The author also traces the development of probabilistic concepts and theories in statistical and quantum physics. There are chapters dealing with chance phenomena, and current major mathematical theories, together with their foundational and philosophical problems. Among the theorists whose work is treated at some length are Kolmogorov, von Mises and de Finetti.

Preface; 1. Introduction; 2. Pathways to modern probability; 3. Probability in statistical physics; 4. Quantum mechanical probability and indeterminism; 5. Classical embeddings of probability and chance; 6. Von Mises' frequentist probabilities; 7. Kolmogorov's measure theoretic probabilities; 8. De Finetti's subjective probabilities; Supplement: Nicole Oresme and the ergodicity of rotations; Bibliography; Index of names; Index of subjects.