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Abstract

This paper gives a short review of Euler’s work in the statistical sciences. During Euler’s lifetime there was a strong interest in the practical use of mathematical modelling and this increasingly encompassed the calculus of probabilities. In the middle of his life, Euler’s interest was piqued by questions involving games of chance. He also occasionally solved problems in probability theory. At the request of king Frederic II of Prussia, for example, he analysed designs for two state run lotteries. The natural applications of probability and statistics involved such questions of public policies as the prediction of population growth, or the establishment of life tables in order to predict the expenses of insurance schemes for widows and orphans. A few of Eulers texts in these areas are discussed in the paper.

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Correspondence to S. Morgenthaler.

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Morgenthaler, S., Parthasarathy, P.R. Euler on Statistics. J Stat Theory Pract 1, 479–487 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1080/15598608.2007.10411853

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/15598608.2007.10411853

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