The Pleasures of Probability

The Pleasures of Probability PDF Author: Richard Isaac
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 146120819X
Category : Mathematics
Languages : en
Pages : 249

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Book Description
The ideas of probability are all around us. Lotteries, casino gambling, the al most non-stop polling which seems to mold public policy more and more these are a few of the areas where principles of probability impinge in a direct way on the lives and fortunes of the general public. At a more re moved level there is modern science which uses probability and its offshoots like statistics and the theory of random processes to build mathematical descriptions of the real world. In fact, twentieth-century physics, in embrac ing quantum mechanics, has a world view that is at its core probabilistic in nature, contrary to the deterministic one of classical physics. In addition to all this muscular evidence of the importance of probability ideas it should also be said that probability can be lots of fun. It is a subject where you can start thinking about amusing, interesting, and often difficult problems with very little mathematical background. In this book, I wanted to introduce a reader with at least a fairly decent mathematical background in elementary algebra to this world of probabil ity, to the way of thinking typical of probability, and the kinds of problems to which probability can be applied. I have used examples from a wide variety of fields to motivate the discussion of concepts.

The Pleasures of Probability

The Pleasures of Probability PDF Author: Richard Isaac
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 146120819X
Category : Mathematics
Languages : en
Pages : 249

Get Book Here

Book Description
The ideas of probability are all around us. Lotteries, casino gambling, the al most non-stop polling which seems to mold public policy more and more these are a few of the areas where principles of probability impinge in a direct way on the lives and fortunes of the general public. At a more re moved level there is modern science which uses probability and its offshoots like statistics and the theory of random processes to build mathematical descriptions of the real world. In fact, twentieth-century physics, in embrac ing quantum mechanics, has a world view that is at its core probabilistic in nature, contrary to the deterministic one of classical physics. In addition to all this muscular evidence of the importance of probability ideas it should also be said that probability can be lots of fun. It is a subject where you can start thinking about amusing, interesting, and often difficult problems with very little mathematical background. In this book, I wanted to introduce a reader with at least a fairly decent mathematical background in elementary algebra to this world of probabil ity, to the way of thinking typical of probability, and the kinds of problems to which probability can be applied. I have used examples from a wide variety of fields to motivate the discussion of concepts.

Elementary Probability

Elementary Probability PDF Author: David Stirzaker
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 1139441035
Category : Mathematics
Languages : en
Pages : 540

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Book Description
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.

The Pleasures of Counting

The Pleasures of Counting PDF Author: Thomas William Körner
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 9780521568234
Category : Mathematics
Languages : en
Pages : 548

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Book Description
What is the connection between the outbreak of cholera in Victorian Soho, the Battle of the Atlantic, African Eve and the design of anchors? One answer is that they are all examples chosen by Dr Tom Körner to show how a little mathematics can shed light on the world around us, and deepen our understanding of it. Dr Körner, an experienced author, describes a variety of topics which continue to interest professional mathematicians, like him. He does this using relatively simple terms and ideas, yet confronting difficulties (which are often the starting point for new discoveries) and avoiding condescension. If you have ever wondered what it is that mathematicians do, and how they go about it, then read on. If you are a mathematician wanting to explain to others how you spend your working days (and nights), then seek inspiration here.

Introduction to Probability

Introduction to Probability PDF Author: David F. Anderson
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 110824498X
Category : Mathematics
Languages : en
Pages : 447

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Book Description
This classroom-tested textbook is an introduction to probability theory, with the right balance between mathematical precision, probabilistic intuition, and concrete applications. Introduction to Probability covers the material precisely, while avoiding excessive technical details. After introducing the basic vocabulary of randomness, including events, probabilities, and random variables, the text offers the reader a first glimpse of the major theorems of the subject: the law of large numbers and the central limit theorem. The important probability distributions are introduced organically as they arise from applications. The discrete and continuous sides of probability are treated together to emphasize their similarities. Intended for students with a calculus background, the text teaches not only the nuts and bolts of probability theory and how to solve specific problems, but also why the methods of solution work.

The Art of the Infinite

The Art of the Infinite PDF Author: Robert Kaplan
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing USA
ISBN: 1608198693
Category : Mathematics
Languages : en
Pages : 417

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Book Description
Traces the development of mathematical thinking and describes the characteristics of the "republic of numbers" in terms of humankind's fascination with, and growing knowledge of, infinity.

The Concept of Probability in the Mathematical Representation of Reality

The Concept of Probability in the Mathematical Representation of Reality PDF Author: Hans Reichenbach
Publisher: Full Circle
ISBN:
Category : Mathematics
Languages : de
Pages : 178

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Book Description
The first English translation of Hans Reichenbach's lucid doctoral thesis sheds new light on how Kant's Critique of Pure Reason was understood in some quarters at the time. The source of several themes in his still influential The Direction of Time, the thesis shows Reichenbach's early focus on the interdependence of physics, probability, and epistemology.

Fifty Challenging Problems in Probability with Solutions

Fifty Challenging Problems in Probability with Solutions PDF Author: Frederick Mosteller
Publisher: Courier Corporation
ISBN: 0486134962
Category : Mathematics
Languages : en
Pages : 100

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Book Description
Remarkable puzzlers, graded in difficulty, illustrate elementary and advanced aspects of probability. These problems were selected for originality, general interest, or because they demonstrate valuable techniques. Also includes detailed solutions.

Introduction to Optimal Control Theory

Introduction to Optimal Control Theory PDF Author: Jack Macki
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 1461256712
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 179

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Book Description
This monograph is an introduction to optimal control theory for systems governed by vector ordinary differential equations. It is not intended as a state-of-the-art handbook for researchers. We have tried to keep two types of reader in mind: (1) mathematicians, graduate students, and advanced undergraduates in mathematics who want a concise introduction to a field which contains nontrivial interesting applications of mathematics (for example, weak convergence, convexity, and the theory of ordinary differential equations); (2) economists, applied scientists, and engineers who want to understand some of the mathematical foundations. of optimal control theory. In general, we have emphasized motivation and explanation, avoiding the "definition-axiom-theorem-proof" approach. We make use of a large number of examples, especially one simple canonical example which we carry through the entire book. In proving theorems, we often just prove the simplest case, then state the more general results which can be proved. Many of the more difficult topics are discussed in the "Notes" sections at the end of chapters and several major proofs are in the Appendices. We feel that a solid understanding of basic facts is best attained by at first avoiding excessive generality. We have not tried to give an exhaustive list of references, preferring to refer the reader to existing books or papers with extensive bibliographies. References are given by author's name and the year of publication, e.g., Waltman [1974].

Second Year Calculus

Second Year Calculus PDF Author: David M. Bressoud
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 1461209595
Category : Mathematics
Languages : en
Pages : 399

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Book Description
Second Year Calculus: From Celestial Mechanics to Special Relativity covers multi-variable and vector calculus, emphasizing the historical physical problems which gave rise to the concepts of calculus. The book guides us from the birth of the mechanized view of the world in Isaac Newton's Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy in which mathematics becomes the ultimate tool for modelling physical reality, to the dawn of a radically new and often counter-intuitive age in Albert Einstein's Special Theory of Relativity in which it is the mathematical model which suggests new aspects of that reality. The development of this process is discussed from the modern viewpoint of differential forms. Using this concept, the student learns to compute orbits and rocket trajectories, model flows and force fields, and derive the laws of electricity and magnetism. These exercises and observations of mathematical symmetry enable the student to better understand the interaction of physics and mathematics.

Mathematics for the Nonmathematician

Mathematics for the Nonmathematician PDF Author: Morris Kline
Publisher: Courier Corporation
ISBN: 0486316130
Category : Mathematics
Languages : en
Pages : 676

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Book Description
Erudite and entertaining overview follows development of mathematics from ancient Greeks to present. Topics include logic and mathematics, the fundamental concept, differential calculus, probability theory, much more. Exercises and problems.