Microsurveys In Discrete Probability

This book contains eleven articles surveying emerging topics in discrete probability. The papers are based on talks given by experts at the DIMACS "Microsurveys in Discrete Probability" workshop held at the Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton, NJ, in 1997. This compilation of current research in discrete probability provides a unique overview that is not available elsewhere in book or survey form. Topics covered in the volume include: Markov chains (pefect sampling, coupling from the past, mixing times), random trees (spanning trees on infinite graphs, enumeration of trees and forests, tree-valued Markov chains), distributional estimates (method of bounded differences, Stein-Chen method for normal approximation), dynamical percolation, Poisson processes, and reconstructing random walk from scenery.

This book contains eleven articles surveying emerging topics in discrete probability. The papers are based on talks given by experts at the DIMACS "Microsurveys in Discrete Probability" workshop held at the Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton, NJ. This compilation of current research in discrete probability provides a unique overview that is not available elsewhere in book or survey form. Topics covered in the volume include: Markov chains (perfect sampling, coupling from the past, mixing times), random trees (spanning trees on infinite graphs, enumeration of trees and forests, tree-valued.

Most probability problems involve random variables indexed by space and/or time. These problems almost always have a version in which space and/or time are taken to be discrete. This volume deals with areas in which the discrete version is more natural than the continuous one, perhaps even the only one than can be formulated without complicated constructions and machinery. The 5 papers of this volume discuss problems in which there has been significant progress in the last few years; they are motivated by, or have been developed in parallel with, statistical physics. They include questions about asymptotic shape for stochastic growth models and for random clusters; existence, location and properties of phase transitions; speed of convergence to equilibrium in Markov chains, and in particular for Markov chains based on models with a phase transition; cut-off phenomena for random walks. The articles can be read independently of each other. Their unifying theme is that of models built on discrete spaces or graphs. Such models are often easy to formulate. Correspondingly, the book requires comparatively little previous knowledge of the machinery of probability.

This textbook explores two distinct stochastic processes that evolve at random: weakly stationary processes and discrete parameter Markov processes. Building from simple examples, the authors focus on developing context and intuition before formalizing the theory of each topic. This inviting approach illuminates the key ideas and computations in the proofs, forming an ideal basis for further study. After recapping the essentials from Fourier analysis, the book begins with an introduction to the spectral representation of a stationary process. Topics in ergodic theory follow, including Birkhoff’s Ergodic Theorem and an introduction to dynamical systems. From here, the Markov property is assumed and the theory of discrete parameter Markov processes is explored on a general state space. Chapters cover a variety of topics, including birth–death chains, hitting probabilities and absorption, the representation of Markov processes as iterates of random maps, and large deviation theory for Markov processes. A chapter on geometric rates of convergence to equilibrium includes a splitting condition that captures the recurrence structure of certain iterated maps in a novel way. A selection of special topics concludes the book, including applications of large deviation theory, the FKG inequalities, coupling methods, and the Kalman filter. Featuring many short chapters and a modular design, this textbook offers an in-depth study of stationary and discrete-time Markov processes. Students and instructors alike will appreciate the accessible, example-driven approach and engaging exercises throughout. A single, graduate-level course in probability is assumed.

Besides the investigation of general chains the book contains chapters which are concerned with eigenvalue techniques, conductance, stopping times, the strong Markov property, couplings, strong uniform times, Markov chains on arbitrary finite groups (including a crash-course in harmonic analysis), random generation and counting, Markov random fields, Gibbs fields, the Metropolis sampler, and simulated annealing. With 170 exercises.

This second edition of the popular textbook contains a comprehensive course in modern probability theory, covering a wide variety of topics which are not usually found in introductory textbooks, including: • limit theorems for sums of random variables • martingales • percolation • Markov chains and electrical networks • construction of stochastic processes • Poisson point process and infinite divisibility • large deviation principles and statistical physics • Brownian motion • stochastic integral and stochastic differential equations. The theory is developed rigorously and in a self-contained way, with the chapters on measure theory interlaced with the probabilistic chapters in order to display the power of the abstract concepts in probability theory. This second edition has been carefully extended and includes many new features. It contains updated figures (over 50), computer simulations and some difficult proofs have been made more accessible. A wealth of examples and more than 270 exercises as well as biographic details of key mathematicians support and enliven the presentation. It will be of use to students and researchers in mathematics and statistics in physics, computer science, economics and biology.

Approx.852 pages Winner of a 2024 McGuffey Longevity Award (College) (Texty) from the Textbook and Academic Authors Association Retains the useful organization that students and professors have relied on since 1972 Includes new coverage on Martingales Offers a single source appropriate for a range of courses from undergraduate to graduate level

Constraint programming has become an important general approach for solving hard combinatorial problems that occur in a number of application domains, such as scheduling and configuration. This volume contains selected papers from the workshop on Constraint Programming and Large Scale Discrete Optimization held at DIMACS. It gives a sense of state-of-the-art research in this field, touching on many of the important issues that are emerging and giving an idea of the major current trends. Topics include new strategies for local search, multithreaded constraint programming, specialized constraints that enhance consistency processing, fuzzy representations, hybrid approaches involving both constraint programming and integer programming, and applications to scheduling problems in domains such as sports scheduling and satellite scheduling.