5 minutesthe time it takes to brush your teeth, fry an egg, or pay the electric bill. In any given twenty-four-hour period, we all have 288 chances to take five minutes and just stopto think, to feel, allow ourselves time to breathe, grab hold of a thought or a word or a feeling, and capture a moment. 288 Chances is a collection of writings, each with a foundation that began in five short minutes. Open, honest, thoughtful words written from the heart, words that will hopefully engage the mind and the spirit as they relate to the simple, everyday feelings and emotions that we all experience over a lifetime. Love, Loss, Trust, Expectation. Just a few of the hopes and fears, joys and disappointments that might otherwise go unspoken, unshared, until we take the time to write them down. Could you set aside five minutes a day to challenge yourself? Challenge yourself to take one random word and write for five quick minutes, without thought to grammar or punctuationfirst connecting the bare bones, and then going back and adding some flesh and muscle, so your words might inspire, entertain, encourage, or comfort someone who might need to hear them today. Everyday life is full of ordinary moments that should inspire us all to be extraordinary. Sharing these moments with others connects us. Take five. And write it down. For more on this book and the author, please visit 288chances.blogspot.com.

This textbook differs from others in the field in that it has been prepared very much with students and their needs in mind, having been classroom tested over many years. It is a true “learner’s book” made for students who require a deeper understanding of probability and statistics. It presents the fundamentals of the subject along with concepts of probabilistic modelling, and the process of model selection, verification and analysis. Furthermore, the inclusion of more than 100 examples and 200 exercises (carefully selected from a wide range of topics), along with a solutions manual for instructors, means that this text is of real value to students and lecturers across a range of engineering disciplines. Key features: Presents the fundamentals in probability and statistics along with relevant applications. Explains the concept of probabilistic modelling and the process of model selection, verification and analysis. Definitions and theorems are carefully stated and topics rigorously treated. Includes a chapter on regression analysis. Covers design of experiments. Demonstrates practical problem solving throughout the book with numerous examples and exercises purposely selected from a variety of engineering fields. Includes an accompanying online Solutions Manual for instructors containing complete step-by-step solutions to all problems.