Probability [Hardcover]

Jim Pitman (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0387979743 | ISBN-13: 978-0387979748 | Publication Date: May 12, 1993

This textbook is ideal for an undergraduate introduction to probability, with a calculus prerequisite. It is based on a course that the author has taught many times at Berkeley. The text's overall style is informal, but all results are stated precisely, and most are proved. Understanding is developed through intuitive explanations and examples. Graphs, diagrams, and geometrical ideals motivate results that might otherwise look likely purely formal manipulations.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 576 pages
• Publisher: Springer (May 12, 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0387979743
• ISBN-13: 978-0387979748
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 8.5 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #42,425 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

24 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great for "applied" types like me, September 20, 2003

By 

"[e-mail]" (Walnut Creek, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Probability (Hardcover)

I would guess all the intensely negative reviews are from "pure-math" types. But, if you need to understand how to apply probability to some real-world problem, this book is for you.

I have never encountered such an easy-to-read description of probability. Also, there are absolutely great, intuitive examples which are non-trivial and easily extended. I completely disagree that this book encourages memorization -- rather, there are many examples which give both an intuitive/thinking-about-it solution and a formulaic solution.

Also, there are easy-to-find "rules" for probablisitic-type functions and operations which are very clearly explained and accompanied with non-trivial examples.

The notation may be a little clunky, but it is very easy to find the definitions and the index is reasonably complete. Also, there are several valuable appendicies. Oh, and there are solutions to odd-numbered excercises and solutions to mock-exams. What's not to like?

I would recommend this book to those who need to know probability for their non-pure-math discipline (i.e. physics, engieering, life sciences, etc.) but can't afford to invest the time in a full course (although I'm sure a course which uses this book would be a great asset, as well).

13 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A perfect intro to probability, December 3, 1999

By 

David Alexander Paz (Berkeley, California) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Probability (Hardcover)

This text presents the broad topic of probability in a clear-cut manner. The author provides as much theory as possible without the formal arguments needed for a graduate course. Instead, he uses logic developed throughout the course of the text to explain the theory in words. Also, his examples assist in completing the discussion on a topic. As both an undergraduate and statistics tutor at UC Berkeley, I believe that this text is superior to others when it comes to explaining probability to a beginner.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Text may be for beginners; the problems aren't., January 15, 2010

By 

Daniel Song (Torrance, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Probability (Hardcover)

I used this textbook in an undergraduate class, and went back to it to study for SOA/CAS Exam 1/P. The examples and explanations were run of the mill, but the problems... wow.

There was a wide range of problems, in scope and in level of difficulty. They ranged from medium to hard to impossible. Some of the more memorable ones were research-level problems that required you to do a little bit of independent research on the internet, and the hardest problems could easily take you all day to solve. The problems were easily the strongest part of the book and you will learn the necessary concepts by solving them - the examples and explanations are really just there as a guide. I can attest to this because I did them ALL, 709 of them in total - a feat that took me roughly two months and enabled me to pass Exam 1/P with flying colors.

Overall, I found the explanations and examples to be less than top-notch, but the problems will really test you. Just make sure to work in groups and ask for help, and stick to problems that are relevant to the course (or exam) - otherwise the book can chew you up and spit you out.

P.S. This text does not have a section on moment-generating functions, so you'll have to find another source for that topic. Wikipedia has a good article on the subject.