A Second Course In Stochastic Processes

Algebraic methods in markov chains; Ratio theorems of transition probabilities and applications; Sums of independent random variables as a markov chain; Order statistics, poisson processes, and applications; Continuous time markov chains; Diffusion processes; Compouding stochastic processes; Fluctuation theory of partial sums of independent identically distributed random variables; Queueing processes.

The purpose, level, and style of this new edition conform to the tenets set forth in the original preface. The authors continue with their tack of developing simultaneously theory and applications, intertwined so that they refurbish and elucidate each other. The authors have made three main kinds of changes. First, they have enlarged on the topics treated in the first edition. Second, they have added many exercises and problems at the end of each chapter. Third, and most important, they have supplied, in new chapters, broad introductory discussions of several classes of stochastic processes not dealt with in the first edition, notably martingales, renewal and fluctuation phenomena associated with random sums, stationary stochastic processes, and diffusion theory.

Stochastic processes are necessary ingredients for building models of a wide variety of phenomena exhibiting time varying randomness. This text offers easy access to this fundamental topic for many students of applied sciences at many levels. It includes examples, exercises, applications, and computational procedures. It is uniquely useful for beginners and non-beginners in the field. No knowledge of measure theory is presumed.

Based on a well-established and popular course taught by the authors over many years, Stochastic Processes: An Introduction, Third Edition, discusses the modelling and analysis of random experiments, where processes evolve over time. The text begins with a review of relevant fundamental probability. It then covers gambling problems, random walks, and Markov chains. The authors go on to discuss random processes continuous in time, including Poisson, birth and death processes, and general population models, and present an extended discussion on the analysis of associated stationary processes in queues. The book also explores reliability and other random processes, such as branching, martingales, and simple epidemics. A new chapter describing Brownian motion, where the outcomes are continuously observed over continuous time, is included. Further applications, worked examples and problems, and biographical details have been added to this edition. Much of the text has been reworked. The appendix contains key results in probability for reference. This concise, updated book makes the material accessible, highlighting simple applications and examples. A solutions manual with fully worked answers of all end-of-chapter problems, and Mathematica® and R programs illustrating many processes discussed in the book, can be downloaded from crcpress.com.

Based on a highly popular, well-established course taught by the authors, Stochastic Processes: An Introduction, Second Edition discusses the modeling and analysis of random experiments using the theory of probability. It focuses on the way in which the results or outcomes of experiments vary and evolve over time. The text begins with a review of relevant fundamental probability. It then covers several basic gambling problems, random walks, and Markov chains. The authors go on to develop random processes continuous in time, including Poisson, birth and death processes, and general population models. While focusing on queues, they present an extended discussion on the analysis of associated stationary processes. The book also explores reliability and other random processes, such as branching processes, martingales, and a simple epidemic. The appendix contains key mathematical results for reference. Ideal for a one-semester course on stochastic processes, this concise, updated textbook makes the material accessible to students by avoiding specialized applications and instead highlighting simple applications and examples. The associated website contains Mathematica® and R programs that offer flexibility in creating graphs and performing computations.

The revised and expanded edition of this textbook presents the concepts and applications of random processes with the same illuminating simplicity as its first edition, but with the notable addition of substantial modern material on biological modeling. While still treating many important problems in fields such as engineering and mathematical physics, the book also focuses on the highly relevant topics of cancerous mutations, influenza evolution, drug resistance, and immune response. The models used elegantly apply various classical stochastic models presented earlier in the text, and exercises are included throughout to reinforce essential concepts. The second edition of Classical and Spatial Stochastic Processes is suitable as a textbook for courses in stochastic processes at the advanced-undergraduate and graduate levels, or as a self-study resource for researchers and practitioners in mathematics, engineering, physics, and mathematical biology. Reviews of the first edition: An appetizing textbook for a first course in stochastic processes. It guides the reader in a very clever manner from classical ideas to some of the most interesting modern results. ... All essential facts are presented with clear proofs, illustrated by beautiful examples. ... The book is well organized, has informative chapter summaries, and presents interesting exercises. The clear proofs are concentrated at the ends of the chapters making it easy to find the results. The style is a good balance of mathematical rigorosity and user-friendly explanation. —Biometric Journal This small book is well-written and well-organized. ... Only simple results are treated ... but at the same time many ideas needed for more complicated cases are hidden and in fact very close. The second part is a really elementary introduction to the area of spatial processes. ... All sections are easily readable and it is rather tentative for the reviewer to learn them more deeply by organizing a course based on this book. The reader can be really surprised seeing how simple the lectures on these complicated topics can be. At the same time such important questions as phase transitions and their properties for some models and the estimates for certain critical values are discussed rigorously. ... This is indeed a first course on stochastic processes and also a masterful introduction to some modern chapters of the theory. —Zentralblatt Math

Building upon the previous editions, this textbook is a first course in stochastic processes taken by undergraduate and graduate students (MS and PhD students from math, statistics, economics, computer science, engineering, and finance departments) who have had a course in probability theory. It covers Markov chains in discrete and continuous time, Poisson processes, renewal processes, martingales, and option pricing. One can only learn a subject by seeing it in action, so there are a large number of examples and more than 300 carefully chosen exercises to deepen the reader’s understanding. Drawing from teaching experience and student feedback, there are many new examples and problems with solutions that use TI-83 to eliminate the tedious details of solving linear equations by hand, and the collection of exercises is much improved, with many more biological examples. Originally included in previous editions, material too advanced for this first course in stochastic processes has been eliminated while treatment of other topics useful for applications has been expanded. In addition, the ordering of topics has been improved; for example, the difficult subject of martingales is delayed until its usefulness can be applied in the treatment of mathematical finance.