"Yes or no: was there once life on Mars?" I can't say. "What about intelligent life?"' That seems most unlikely, but again, I can't really say. The simple yes-or-no framework has no place for shadings ...

This column is the first of a series on probability. My intention is to give you some basic understanding of probability theory and discuss some of its practical applications. Mathematical thinking in ...

Probabilities can be written as fractions, decimals or percentages on a scale from 0 to 1. Knowing basic facts about equally likely outcomes can help to solve more complicated problems. Probability is ...