Probability: For the Enthusiastic Beginner

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....Combinatorics Chapter 2....Probability Chapter 3....Expectation values Chapter 4....Distributions Chapter 5....Gaussian approximations Chapter 6....Correlation and regression Chapter 7....Appendices The 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.

I have an engineering degree. My wife calls me Mr. Spock. Despite these, in college I barely passed Probability and, because it is SUCH an impactful and important topic in everyday life to understand at some level, this has bugged me ever since - 40+ years. Over the years, out of pure desire to understand, I have acquired various books - e.g. The Probability Tutoring Book from IEEE. These were OK. But this book is in another class in its readability and avoidance of calculus. I feel like the author is speaking directly to me, and explains things in a way that I *wish* my college course could have. I have not read the whole thing yet, and have not yet encountered the perhaps off-base political opinions other reviews have mentioned - and I won't like them when/if I do (I say "if" because perhaps they won't strike me that way). Nonetheless, this book is fabulous if you want to better understand all the basic ideas in probability, whether as a student who needs to know, or just out of intellectual curiosity. The "Four Classic Problems" of section 2.4 is alone worth the price (it is interesting that the author calls the well-known Monty Hall problem "The Game-Show" problem - wonder why he didn't want to mention Monty by name ?).

Wonderful book. I was enthusiatic as the title demanded, I was not a full beginner because I have studied the subject in the past but never understanding where the formulas came from. David Morin does a favor to normal people sharing his knowledge and insights helping to build intuition. The book is well structured, he covers as much as needed without scaring beginners, the examples, remarks and appendix are great. The writing is pristine, with repetition when needed.

Very good book for the beginners.you can learn probability from the scratch to college level.

Wenn ein Autor es schafft, den Leser gedanklich Schritt für Schritt mitzunehmen ist das a ) selten und b) didaktisch top. Genau das ist der Fall für das Buch hier, ich kann es nur empfehlen. Bestes Buch über Probability das ich je in den Händen hatte. Das Buch hält was es verspricht, es ist für den enthusiastic beginner

Book is obviously great. Provides you with a strong foundation on probability. Most of the time, doesn't rely too heavily on mathematics. The only problem is the exercise section: In almost all chapters there are whole new ideas that are introduced in the exercise section rather than the main text, which I think is bizarre.

Buen día Amazon , Es es único libro que muestra como se desarrolla el teorema de Bayes. Aunque este producto no llego a mi casa, Te califico Amazon con el mas alto nivel. Jaza Agosto 28, 2025