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Patterns of Plausible Inference

by George Pólya
Patterns of Plausible Inference
Patterns of Plausible Inference

For curious minds who love disciplined guessing

This is a fascinating read if you enjoy seeing how real thinking happens before formal proof arrives. Pólya makes mathematics feel surprisingly human, showing that intuition, pattern-spotting, and smart hunches are not shortcuts but essential tools. It is especially rewarding for readers who like books that sharpen how they reason, not just what they know.

Note: While we do our best to ensure the accuracy of cover images, ISBNs may at times be reused for different editions of the same title which may hence appear as a different cover.

Patterns of Plausible Inference

by George Pólya
Condition guide

Book Condition Guide

Books in Like New Condition

This book may contain very minor cosmetic defects, but it is in pristine condition. There should be no yellowing, no foxing, no water damage, and no annotations of any kind on the cover and the pages. For paperbacks, there should not be any crease marks on the spine. This book is good as new — lucky you!

*Books may be missing bundle media (e.g. CD, e-book code), if included.

Books in Very Good Condition

This book has been used, but it is still in a clean condition. There should be no foxing or annotations of any kind on the inner pages, but a sparse amount may be present on the cover, title pages, or outside edges of the book. There should be no water damage of any kind. For paperbacks, there may be light crease marks on the spine.

*Books may be missing bundle media (e.g. CD, e-book code), if included.

Books in Good Condition

We do our best to ensure the quality of our books, but there is no escaping the wear and tear that comes with time. Slight foxing and some annotations may be present on the pages and the cover. There should be no water damage of any kind. For paperbacks, there may be several crease marks on the spine.

*Books may be missing bundle media (e.g. CD, e-book code), if included.

Books in Well Read Condition

This is a well-read book, which means that the previous owner probably really enjoyed it! The cover and pages may include moderate foxing and annotations, but the text is not obscured and still readable. Moderate cosmetic defects and minor water damage may be present on the edges of the book. For paperbacks, there may be multiple crease marks on the spine.

*Books may be missing bundle media (e.g. CD, e-book code), if included.

 

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ISBN: 9780691025100
Authors: George Pólya
Publisher: Princeton University Press
Date of Publication: 1990-08-03
Format: Paperback
Related Collections: Science, Philosophy
Related Topics: Popular Science, Mathematics, Psychology, Theory, Education
Goodreads rating: 4.51
(rated by 55 readers)

Description

A guide to the practical art of plausible reasoning, this book discusses how hunches and guesses play a role in even the most rigorous deductive science. George Polya uses mathematics to show how solutions to problems can be guessed, and that good guessing is often more important than rigorous deduction in finding correct solutions. Volume II develops a logic of plausibility, exploring what makes evidence stronger or weaker, and how to seek evidence that will make a suspected truth more probable. These questions involve philosophy and psychology as well as mathematics.
 

For curious minds who love disciplined guessing

This is a fascinating read if you enjoy seeing how real thinking happens before formal proof arrives. Pólya makes mathematics feel surprisingly human, showing that intuition, pattern-spotting, and smart hunches are not shortcuts but essential tools. It is especially rewarding for readers who like books that sharpen how they reason, not just what they know.

Note: While we do our best to ensure the accuracy of cover images, ISBNs may at times be reused for different editions of the same title which may hence appear as a different cover.