Who's #1? : the science of rating and ranking / Amy N. Langville and Carl D. Meyer.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Introduction to ranking -- Massey's method -- Colley's method -- Keener's method -- Elo's system -- The Markov method -- The offense-defense rating method -- Ranking by reordering methods -- Point spreads -- User preference ratings -- Handling ties -- Incorporating weights -- "What if -- " scenarios and sensitivity -- Rank aggregation : part 1 -- Rank aggregation : part 2 -- Methods of comparison -- Data -- Epilogue.

"Who's #1? offers an engaging and accessible account of how scientific rating and ranking methods are created and applied to a variety of uses. Amy Langville and Carl Meyer provide the first comprehensive overview of the mathematical algorithms and methods used to rate and rank sports teams, political candidates, products, Web pages, and more. In a series of interesting asides, Langville and Meyer provide fascinating insights into the ingenious contributions of many of the field's pioneers. They survey and compare the different methods employed today, showing why their strengths and weaknesses depend on the underlying goal, and explaining why and when a given method should be considered. Also describe what can and can't be expected from the most widely used systems"-- Provided by publisher.