A Research on P. L. Chebyshev's Thoughts in Probability and Its Mathematical Background and Motivation
Received:April 04, 2005  Revised:October 25, 2005
Key Words: P.L. Chebyshev   law of large numbers   probability   expectation   St. Petersburg.  
Fund Project:the National Natural Science Foundation of China (10471111).
Author NameAffiliation
XU Chuan-sheng Department of Mathematics, Linyi Teachers' College, Shandong 276001, China
Centre for the History of Mathematics and Sciences, Northwest University, Shaanxi 710069, China 
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Abstract:
      P. L. Chebyshev was the greatest mathematician in Russian Empire in 18th century. It was him that advocated that the limit theorem of probability should be proved strictly, and the deviation from the limit value should be estimit as accurately as possibly. These caused great changes in methodology. Chebyshev's Inequality and Law of Large Numbers are the foundational work on the limit theory of probability. Its publication symbolizes the rigorize of the theory of probability as a branch of mathematics. This paper analyses P.L.Chebyshev's novel thoughts on probability, and concentrate on the earlier period that culminates with Chebyshev, and specifically on the mathematical background and motivation for his activity in probability.
Citation:
DOI:10.3770/j.issn:1000-341X.2007.04.053
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