Allen B. Downey (Author of Think Python)

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Allen B. Downey

欧宝娱乐 Author

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September 2012

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Allen Downey is a Professor Emeritus at Olin College and the author of a series of freetextbooks related to software and data science, including Think Python, Think Bayes, and Think Complexity, which are also published by O’Reilly Media. His blog, Probably Overthinking It, features articles on Bayesian probability and statistics. He holds a Ph.D. in computer science from U.C. Berkeley, and M.S. and B.S. degrees from MIT.

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Allen B. Downey's Blog: Probably Overthinking It

Announcing Think Linear Algebra

I’ve been thinking about Think Linear Algebra for more than a decade, and recently I started working on it in earnest. If you want to get a sense of it, I’ve posted a .

In one way, I am glad I waited — I think it will be better, faster [to write], and stronger [?] because of AI tools. To be clear, I am writing this book, not AI. But I’m finding ChatGPT helpful for

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Allen B. Downey’s books

Average rating: 3.99 · 3,195 ratings · 384 reviews · 35 distinct works ? Similar authors

	Think Python 4.12 avg rating — 1,653 ratings — 12 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Think Stats 3.63 avg rating — 467 ratings — published 2011 — 8 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Think Bayes: Bayesian Statistics in Python 3.93 avg rating — 274 ratings — published 2012 — 14 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Think Complexity: Complexity Science and Computational Modeling 3.91 avg rating — 243 ratings — published 2009 — 13 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Think Java: How to Think Like a Computer Scientist 3.90 avg rating — 169 ratings — published 2016 — 19 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Little Book of Semaphores: The Ins and Outs of Concurrency Control and Common Mistakes 4.39 avg rating — 80 ratings — published 2009	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Probably Overthinking It: How to Use Data to Answer Questions, Avoid Statistical Traps, and Make Better Decisions 4.22 avg rating — 79 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Think DSP: Digital Signal Processing in Python 4.02 avg rating — 43 ratings — 4 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Think Data Structures: Algorithms and Information Retrieval in Java 3.47 avg rating — 36 ratings — 8 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Think OS: A Brief Introduction to Operating Systems really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 29 ratings — published 2014 — 5 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

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An Abundance of Caution: American Schools, the Virus, and a Story of Bad Decisions

by David Zweig (欧宝娱乐 Author)

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Jun 03, 2025 02:07PM

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Jesus Wept: Seven Popes and the Battle for the Soul of the Catholic Church

by Philip Shenon (欧宝娱乐 Author)

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May 26, 2025 04:50PM

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Allen Downey wants to read City on Fire (Danny Ryan, #1) by Don Winslow (欧宝娱乐 Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Jun 15, 2025 07:44AM · like · See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of City on Fire by Don Winslow. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — City on Fire by Don Winslow <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Allen Downey wants to read The Tainted Cup (Shadow of the Leviathan, #1) by Robert Jackson Bennett (欧宝娱乐 Author) 欧宝娱乐 Choice Awards Nominee in Readers' Favorite Fantasy	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
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Allen Downey has read The Boys in the Boat: The True Story of an American Team's Epic Journey to Win Gold at the 1936 Olympics by Gregory Mone (欧宝娱乐 Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
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Allen Downey started reading An Abundance of Caution: American Schools, the Virus, and a Story of Bad Decisions by David Zweig (欧宝娱乐 Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Jun 03, 2025 02:07PM · like · See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of An Abundance of Caution by David Zweig. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — An Abundance of Caution by David Zweig <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Allen Downey started reading Jesus Wept: Seven Popes and the Battle for the Soul of the Catholic Church by Philip Shenon (欧宝娱乐 Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
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Allen Downey finished reading The Fifth Elephant (Discworld, #24; City Watch, #5) by Terry Pratchett	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
May 26, 2025 04:49PM · like · See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Fifth Elephant by Terry Pratchett. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Fifth Elephant by Terry Pratchett <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Allen Downey finished reading Talking to Strangers: What We Should Know About the People We Don't Know by Malcolm Gladwell	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
May 26, 2025 04:49PM · like · See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Talking to Strangers by Malcolm Gladwell. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Talking to Strangers by Malcolm Gladwell <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Allen Downey finished reading Doctored: Fraud, Arrogance, and Tragedy in the Quest to Cure Alzheimer's by Charles Piller	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
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Allen Downey wants to read The Last American Road Trip: A Memoir by Sarah Kendzior (欧宝娱乐 Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
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Allen Downey started reading Doctored: Fraud, Arrogance, and Tragedy in the Quest to Cure Alzheimer's by Charles Piller	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
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Quotes by Allen B. Downey (?)

“For all live births, the mean pregnancy length is 38.6 weeks, the standard deviation is 2.7 weeks, which means we should expect deviations of 2-3 weeks to be common.”
― Allen B. Downey, Think Stats

tags: explanations-math

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