Probability: For the Enthusiastic Beginner 1st Edition

The subtitle "For the Enthusiastic Beginner", may imply to some that this is an elementary book, but it is not. The subtitle refers to the fact that the subject is covered from the beginning with no required calculus (although some is used optionally). While not focusing on theorems and derivations, some are developed. The focus of the book is on understanding the basics of probability, with only a minimal amount of rigorous mathematical formalism. This is not to say that this is a slimmed down treatment devoid of formal mathematics, it is not.As with the other of Morin's books this is another great teaching book. It is clearly written, includes a large number of solved problems and is a good choice as a self-education text, as well as a course textbook or adjunct to book used in a class. My only complaint is that I would have liked even more solved problems. Most of the solved problems are challenging and are included as illustrations of particular points, as opposed to giving the reader simpler problems in order to gain experience with applying the material in the book.What is in the book:Chapter 1 - Combinatorics - Determining how various combinations are computed (counting with and without repetitions and for ordered and disordered sets.)Chapter 2 - Probability - The definition of probability and determinations of "and" and "or" combinations, plus Bayes' theorem, Stirlings's formula.Chapter 3 - Expectation values, variance, standard deviation.Chapter 4 - Distributions (Uniform, Bernoulli, Binomial, Exponential, Poisson and Gaussian.Chapter 5 - The Gaussian Approximations, law of large numbers, central limit theorem.Chapter 6 - Correlation and Regression - Definition of correlation, correlation coefficient, regression lines.Appendices - Subtleties about probability, Euler's number, approximation, important results, glossary.

If you have ever struggled with Combinatorics in probability books, the first chapter of this book will be a godsend.The first chapter is 56 pages long. However, when it comes to teaching and learning probability, this is the most fruitful 56 pages that I have ever seen. If you have struggled with Combinatorics, like I have, reading Chapter 1 of this book should clear much of the fog. The author doesn't assume that the reader has relevant experience in Combinatorics, which he defines as "The study of how to count things."The author avoids the irritating phrase "it can be shown that." Rather he shows you how to "count things" as he develops the relationships used to "count things." You may have encountered the relationships he develops in the past. However, the author's explanations provides more details which makes the concepts more plausible. For example, he uses Venn Diagrams when developing probabilities for dependent events and the Probability Square when developing probabilities for independent events. To some this may seem trivial and/or obvious. However, this may not be the case for those who are studying these concepts for the first time.This book is written in a manner that covers a broad audience interested in learning probability. You should have a very good background in at least algebra. This book is designed for more than just scratiching the surface of Probability. This may be the motivation behind the subtitle..."For the Enthusiastic Beginner."The seven Chapters cover:Chapter 1....CombinatoricsChapter 2....ProbabilityChapter 3....Expectation valuesChapter 4....DistributionsChapter 5....Gaussian approximationsChapter 6....Correlation and regressionChapter 7....AppendicesThe author solves many example problems in each chapter as aids to learning. There are also end of chapter problems with detailed solutions. Each chapter ends with a summary, which precedes the end of chapter exercises. It is noteworthy that Chapter 3 involves topics that are encountered in statistics. This is an additional plus that emphasizes the relationships between probability and statistics. This is a five star book.

My son needed this for college, but I have enjoyed reading it also. It helped me in my ACT Prep business too!