Introduction to Probability

Unlike most probability textbooks, which are only truly accessible to mathematically-oriented students, Ward and Gundlach's Introduction to Probability reaches out to a much wider introductory-level audience. Its conversational style, highly visual approach, practical examples, and step-by-step problem solving procedures help all kinds of students understand the basics of probability theory and its broad applications. The book was extensively class-tested through its preliminary edition, to make it even more effective at building confidence in students who have viable problem-solving potential but are not fully comfortable in the culture of mathematics. Unique Chapter Order . Outcomes, Events, and Sample Spaces begin the book, to clarify the relationship between events and random variables . Coverage of jointly distributed random variables appears early (Ch. 8), providing a more intuitive introduction to concepts such as binomial random variables . Chapters on counting are in the middle of the book, giving students time to settle into the course and become more creative in solving problems before encountering these often-confusing topics Well-Paced Coverage . Appealing, uncluttered layout, minimizing proofs and excess symbols, gives students a more inviting experience with the book . Chapter Goals and end-of-chapter Summaries help students see the big picture of each chapter . Boxed formulas, Checkpoints, and margin notes guide students through chapters and make review and exam preparation more effective . Separated calculus material lets instructors decide how much calculus to bring into the course A Rich Collection of Exercises, Examples, and Problems . Examples and exercises have realistic contexts relevant to students' lives-for example, one problem considers how music players operate in shuffle mode . Problems are in three levels: practice (as warm-ups), extensions, and advanced