Probability with Statistical Applications

This second edition textbook offers a practical introduction to probability for undergraduates at all levels with different backgrounds and views towards applications. Calculus is a prerequisite for understanding the basic concepts, however the book is written with a sensitivity to students’ common difficulties with calculus that does not obscure the thorough treatment of the probability content. The first six chapters of this text neatly and concisely cover the material traditionally required by most undergraduate programs for a first course in probability.

The comprehensive text includes a multitude of new examples and exercises, and careful revisions throughout. Particular attention is given to the expansion of the last three chapters of the book with the addition of one entirely new chapter (9) on ’Finding and Comparing Estimators.’ The classroom-tested material presented in this second edition forms the basis for a second course introducing mathematical statistics.

Probability Space.- Conditional probabilities.- Discrete random variables.- Binomial random variables.- Poisson random variables.- Simulations of discrete random variables.- Combinatorics.- Continuous random variables.- The sample average and sample.- Estimating and testing proportions.- Estimating and testing means.- Small samples.- Chi-squared tests.- Design of experiments.- The cumulative distribution function.- Continuous joint distributions.- Covariance and independence.- Conditional distribution and expectation.- The bivariate normal distribution.- Sums of Bernoulli random variables.- Coupling random variables.- The moment generating function.- The chi-squared, Student and F distributions.- Sampling from a normal distribution.- Finding estimators.- Comparing estimators.- Best unbiased estimators.- Bayes’ estimator.- Multiple linear regression.- List of common discrete distributions.- List of common continuous distributions.- Further reading.- Normal table.- Student table.- Chi-squared table.- Index.

Rinaldo Schinazi is a professor at the University of Colorado Springs. He teaches a wide range of probability and statistics courses. His research is in probability models for population biology.