Elementary Probability With Applications

Elementary Probability with Applications, Second Edition shows students how probability has practical uses in many different fields, such as business, politics, and sports. In the book, students learn about probability concepts from real-world examples rather than theory. The text explains how probability models with underlying assumptions are used to model actual situations. It contains examples of probability models as they relate to: Bloc voting Population genetics Doubling strategies in casinos Machine reliability Airline management Cryptology Blood testing Dogs resembling owners Drug detection Jury verdicts Coincidences Number of concert hall aisles 2000 U.S. presidential election Points after deuce in tennis Tests regarding intelligent dogs Music composition Based on the author’s course at The College of William and Mary, the text can be used in a one-semester or one-quarter course in discrete probability with a strong emphasis on applications. By studying the book, students will appreciate the subject of probability and its applications and develop their problem-solving and reasoning skills.

This clear and lively introduction to probability theory concentrates on the results that are the most useful for applications, including combinatorial probability and Markov chains. Concise and focused, it is designed for a one-semester introductory course in probability for students who have some familiarity with basic calculus. Reflecting the author's philosophy that the best way to learn probability is to see it in action, there are more than 350 problems and 200 examples. The examples contain all the old standards such as the birthday problem and Monty Hall, but also include a number of applications not found in other books, from areas as broad ranging as genetics, sports, finance, and inventory management.

Now available in a fully revised and updated second edition, this well established textbook provides a straightforward introduction to the theory of probability. The presentation is entertaining without any sacrifice of rigour; important notions are covered with the clarity that the subject demands. Topics covered include conditional probability, independence, discrete and continuous random variables, basic combinatorics, generating functions and limit theorems, and an introduction to Markov chains. The text is accessible to undergraduate students and provides numerous worked examples and exercises to help build the important skills necessary for problem solving.

Explains probability using genetics, sports, finance, current events and more.

This book provides a clear and straightforward introduction to applications of probability theory with examples given in the biological sciences and engineering. The first chapter contains a summary of basic probability theory. Chapters two to five deal with random variables and their applications. Topics covered include geometric probability, estimation of animal and plant populations, reliability theory and computer simulation. Chapter six contains a lucid account of the convergence of sequences of random variables, with emphasis on the central limit theorem and the weak law of numbers. The next four chapters introduce random processes, including random walks and Markov chains illustrated by examples in population genetics and population growth. This edition also includes two chapters which introduce, in a manifestly readable fashion, the topic of stochastic differential equations and their applications.

The main intended audience for this book is undergraduate students in pure and applied sciences, especially those in engineering. Chapters 2 to 4 cover the probability theory they generally need in their training. Although the treatment of the subject is surely su?cient for non-mathematicians, I intentionally avoided getting too much into detail. For instance, topics such as mixed type random variables and the Dirac delta function are only brie?y mentioned. Courses on probability theory are often considered di?cult. However, after having taught this subject for many years, I have come to the conclusion that one of the biggest problems that the students face when they try to learn probability theory, particularly nowadays, is their de?ciencies in basic di?erential and integral calculus. Integration by parts, for example, is often already forgotten by the students when they take a course on probability. For this reason, I have decided to write a chapter reviewing the basic elements of di?erential calculus. Even though this chapter might not be covered in class, the students can refer to it when needed. In this chapter, an e?ort was made to give the readers a good idea of the use in probability theory of the concepts they should already know. Chapter 2 presents the main results of what is known as elementary probability, including Bayes’ rule and elements of combinatorial analysis.

Probability plays an essential role in making decisions in areas such as business, politics, and sports, among others. Professor Rabinowitz, based on many years of teaching, has created a textbook suited for classroom use as well as for self-study that is filled with hundreds of carefully chosen examples based on real-world case studies about sports, elections, drug testing, legal cases, population growth, business, and more. His approach is innovative, practical, and entertaining. Elementary Probability with Applications will serve to enhance classroom instruction, as well as benefit those who want to review the basics of probability at their own pace. The text is used at several colleges and for some high school classes.