40 Puzzles and Problems in Probability and Mathematical Statistics / Edition 1

by Wolf Schwarz

Overview

As a student I discovered in our library a thin booklet by Frederick Mosteller entitled50 Challenging Problems in Probability. Itreferredtoas- plementary “regular textbook” by William Feller, An Introduction to Pro- bilityTheoryanditsApplications.SoItookthisonealong,too,andstartedon the first of Mosteller’s problems on the train riding home. From that evening, I caught on to probability. These two books were not primarily about abstract formalisms but rather about basic modeling ideas and about ways — often extremely elegant ones — to apply those notions to a surprising variety of empirical phenomena. Essentially, these books taught the reader the skill to “think probabilistically” and to apply simple probability models to real-world problems. The present book is in this tradition; it is based on the view that those cognitive skills are best acquired by solving challenging, nonstandard pro- bility problems. My own experience, both in learning and in teaching, is that challenging problems often help to develop, and to sharpen, our probabilistic intuition much better than plain-style deductions from abstract concepts.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781441925220
Publisher:	Springer New York
Publication date:	11/23/2010
Series:	Problem Books in Mathematics
Edition description:	Softcover reprint of hardcover 1st ed. 2008
Pages:	124
Product dimensions:	6.10(w) x 9.25(h) x 0.01(d)

Table of Contents

Preface.- Notation and Terminology.- Problems.- Hints.- Solutions.- References.- Index.

Editorial Reviews

From the reviews:

"Wolfgang Schwarz’s collection of 40 problems, hints for approaching them, and their solutions is a genuinely valuable resource for the experienced (and not-so-experienced) probability teacher. … There are … problems, all potentially useful to anyone teaching probability and mathematical statistics. The difficulty level ranges nicely from elementary to sophisticated, so most readers will find something challenging here." (Mark Bollman, MathDL, January, 2008)

"In this work, Schwarz … provides a collection of problems involving probability theory and mathematical statistics. … This book may be of interest to advanced students studying probability theory. … Summing Up: Recommended. Libraries serving upper-division undergraduates and graduate students." (B. Borchers, Choice, Vol. 46 (6), February, 2009)

"It contains an eclectic selection of problems from a reasonably wide range of topics in probability and statistics … . In brief, this is an enjoyable book that is to be recommended to anyone looking for a very concise collection of good and interesting problems and puzzles in these subjects." (David Stirzaker, Siam Review, Vol. 51 (1), 2009)

From the Publisher