Mathematical Connections In Colin Bruce's Book, Conned Again Watson!: Cautionary Tales In Logic, Math, And Probability.
As the title suggest, Conned Again, Watson! Cautionary Tales of .
Logic, Math, and Probability, by Colin Bruce (Perseus Publishing, 2002), is .
a collection of mathematical tales set in the form of Sherlock Holmes .
adventures. Each of the stories has a mathematical connection and several .
touch on issues related to the theme of this chapter (particularly relevant are .
"The Case of the Gambling Nobleman" and The Case of the Surprise Heir," .
but several others deal with probability topics as well). .
The story that I choose to read was "The Case of the Surprise Heir". .
This just like the other stories are set in the tone of a Sherlock Holmes novel. .
With Holmes and his faithful friend Watson analyzing different cases of a .
mathematical nature that have been brought to them by various people .
around London. The time period the story is set in is revealed in the .
beginning of the story. Sherlock Holmes happens to picks up a British .
newspaper and in commenting on the masthead reveals that the year is that .
1900. The story begins with Sherlock Holmes and Watson discussing an .
article in the newspaper. They quickly get into an intellectual conversation, .
that arouse from Holmes" comment about the paper. There is an article about .
the fall of the Roman Empire and it states how someday the British Empire .
could experience a similar type of fate. Holmes finds the article ridiculous .
and rips into the author of the paper for making such an implication. Holmes .
then tells Watson that he will be retiring to bed for the evening. After no .
more than a few moments of Holmes being upstairs there is a knock at the .
door. Watson answers only to find an old cockney-like women looking quite .
distraught. She asks to see Mr. Holmes and Watson informs her that he has .
gone off to bed. She then tells Watson that it is quite an emergency and it .