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1. The first example Paulos uses about percentages relates to weather forecasters. What is the mistake?

Paulos uses a common error made by weather forecasters. A weather forecaster may announce a 50% chance of rain on Saturday and a 50% chance of rain on Sunday, which means a 100% chance of rain over the weekend, which is false.

2. What do doctors often do that is mathematically incorrect?

Paulos finds that doctors are rarely correct in estimating a patient's chance for success during surgery. If a doctor says that there is one in a million chances of a mishap, then the follow up remark that the procedure is 99% safe is incorrect.

3. How does Paulos compare misuse of language to the misuse of calculating probability?

While a grammarian may cringe over a misused word, one would rarely recognize an egregious error when another estimates probability.

4. What is the example used to separate numerates from innumerates?

There are innumerates who have little to no grasp on math, and then there are those like the Indian mathematician Ramanujan who see everything in mathematical terms.

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