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 topicsWell-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 courseA 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