Probability and Statistics & Complex Variables

Outstanding undergraduate text provides a thorough understanding of fundamentals and creates the basis for higher-level courses. Numerous examples and extensive exercise sections of varying difficulty, plus answers to selected exercises. 1990 edition.

This concise, yet thorough, book is enhanced with simulations and graphs to build the intuition of readers Models for Probability and Statistical Inference was written over a five-year period and serves as a comprehensive treatment of the fundamentals of probability and statistical inference. With detailed theoretical coverage found throughout the book, readers acquire the fundamentals needed to advance to more specialized topics, such as sampling, linear models, design of experiments, statistical computing, survival analysis, and bootstrapping. Ideal as a textbook for a two-semester sequence on probability and statistical inference, early chapters provide coverage on probability and include discussions of: discrete models and random variables; discrete distributions including binomial, hypergeometric, geometric, and Poisson; continuous, normal, gamma, and conditional distributions; and limit theory. Since limit theory is usually the most difficult topic for readers to master, the author thoroughly discusses modes of convergence of sequences of random variables, with special attention to convergence in distribution. The second half of the book addresses statistical inference, beginning with a discussion on point estimation and followed by coverage of consistency and confidence intervals. Further areas of exploration include: distributions defined in terms of the multivariate normal, chi-square, t, and F (central and non-central); the one- and two-sample Wilcoxon test, together with methods of estimation based on both; linear models with a linear space-projection approach; and logistic regression. Each section contains a set of problems ranging in difficulty from simple to more complex, and selected answers as well as proofs to almost all statements are provided. An abundant amount of figures in addition to helpful simulations and graphs produced by the statistical package S-Plus(r) are included to help build the intuition of readers.

This is a textbook for an undergraduate course in probability and statistics. The approximate prerequisites are two or three semesters of calculus and some linear algebra. Students attending the class include mathematics, engineering, and computer science majors.

The theory of probability and mathematical statistics is becoming an indispensable discipline in many branches of science and engineering. This is caused by increasing significance of various uncertainties affecting performance of complex technological systems. Fundamental concepts and procedures used in analysis of these systems are often based on the theory of probability and mathematical statistics. The book sets out fundamental principles of the probability theory, supplemented by theoretical models of random variables, evaluation of experimental data, sampling theory, distribution updating and tests of statistical hypotheses. Basic concepts of Bayesian approach to probability and two-dimensional random variables, are also covered. Examples of reliability analysis and risk assessment of technological systems are used throughout the book to illustrate basic theoretical concepts and their applications. The primary audience for the book includes undergraduate and graduate students of science and engineering, scientific workers and engineers and specialists in the field of reliability analysis and risk assessment. Except basic knowledge of undergraduate mathematics no special prerequisite is required.

Suitable for self study Use real examples and real data sets that will be familiar to the audience Introduction to the bootstrap is included – this is a modern method missing in many other books

This textbook is aimed at computer science undergraduates late in sophomore or early in junior year, supplying a comprehensive background in qualitative and quantitative data analysis, probability, random variables, and statistical methods, including machine learning. With careful treatment of topics that fill the curricular needs for the course, Probability and Statistics for Computer Science features: • A treatment of random variables and expectations dealing primarily with the discrete case. • A practical treatment of simulation, showing how many interesting probabilities and expectations can be extracted, with particular emphasis on Markov chains. • A clear but crisp account of simple point inference strategies (maximum likelihood; Bayesian inference) in simple contexts. This is extended to cover some confidence intervals, samples and populations for random sampling with replacement, and the simplest hypothesis testing. • A chapter dealing with classification, explaining why it’s useful; how to train SVM classifiers with stochastic gradient descent; and how to use implementations of more advanced methods such as random forests and nearest neighbors. • A chapter dealing with regression, explaining how to set up, use and understand linear regression and nearest neighbors regression in practical problems. • A chapter dealing with principal components analysis, developing intuition carefully, and including numerous practical examples. There is a brief description of multivariate scaling via principal coordinate analysis. • A chapter dealing with clustering via agglomerative methods and k-means, showing how to build vector quantized features for complex signals. Illustrated throughout, each main chapter includes many worked examples and other pedagogical elements such as boxed Procedures, Definitions, Useful Facts, and Remember This (short tips). Problems and Programming Exercises are at the end of each chapter, with a summary of what the reader should know. Instructor resources include a full set of model solutions for all problems, and an Instructor's Manual with accompanying presentation slides.