40 Puzzles and Problems in Probability and Mathematical Statistics 2008 Edition Contributor(s): Schwarz, Wolf (Author) |
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ISBN: 0387735119 ISBN-13: 9780387735115 Publisher: Springer OUR PRICE: $75.99 Product Type: Hardcover - Other Formats Published: November 2007 Annotation: The present book is based on the view that cognitive skills are best acquired by solving challenging, non-standard probability problems. The author's own experience, both in learning and in teaching, is that challenging problems often provide more, and longer lasting, inductive insights than plain-style deductions from general concepts. Problems help to develop, and to sharpen our intuition for important probabilistical concepts and tools such as conditionaing or first-step analyses. Many puzzles and problems presented here are either new within a problem solving context (although as topics in fundamental research they are of course long known) or are variations of classical problems which follow directly from elementary concepts. A small number of particularly instructive problems is taken from previous sources which in this case are generally given. |
Additional Information |
BISAC Categories: - Mathematics | Probability & Statistics - General - Mathematics | Recreations & Games |
Dewey: 624.171 |
LCCN: 2007936604 |
Series: Problem Books in Mathematics |
Physical Information: 0.49" H x 6.68" W x 9.31" (0.73 lbs) 140 pages |
Descriptions, Reviews, Etc. |
Publisher Description: 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 ?rst 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. |