This attractive textbook with its easy-to-follow presentation provides a down-to-earth introduction to operations research for students in a wide range of fields such as engineering, business analytics, mathematics and statistics, computer science, and econometrics. It is the result of many years of teaching and collective feedback from students.The book covers the basic models in both deterministic and stochastic operations research and is a springboard to more specialized texts, either practical or theoretical. The emphasis is on useful models and interpreting the solutions in the context of concrete applications.The text is divided into several parts. The first three chapters deal exclusively with deterministic models, including linear programming with sensitivity analysis, integer programming and heuristics, and network analysis. The next three chapters primarily cover basic stochastic models and techniques, including decision trees, dynamic programming, optimal stopping, production planning, and inventory control. The final five chapters contain more advanced material, such as discrete-time and continuous-time Markov chains, Markov decision processes, queueing models, and discrete-event simulation.Each chapter contains numerous exercises, and a large selection of exercises includes solutions.

This attractive textbook with its easy-to-follow presentation provides a down-to-earth introduction to operations research for students in a wide range of fields such as engineering, business analytics, mathematics and statistics, computer science, and econometrics. It is the result of many years of teaching and collective feedback from students.The book covers the basic models in both deterministic and stochastic operations research and is a springboard to more specialized texts, either practical or theoretical. The emphasis is on useful models and interpreting the solutions in the context of concrete applications.The text is divided into several parts. The first three chapters deal exclusively with deterministic models, including linear programming with sensitivity analysis, integer programming and heuristics, and network analysis. The next three chapters primarily cover basic stochastic models and techniques, including decision trees, dynamic programming, optimal stopping, production planning, and inventory control. The final five chapters contain more advanced material, such as discrete-time and continuous-time Markov chains, Markov decision processes, queueing models, and discrete-event simulation.Each chapter contains numerous exercises, and a large selection of exercises includes solutions.

In this undergraduate text, the author has distilled the core of probabilistic ideas and methods for computer and data science. The book emphasizes probabilistic and computational thinking rather than theorems and proofs. It provides insights and motivates the students by telling them why probability works and how to apply it.The unique features of the book are as follows:This book contains many worked examples. Numerous instructive problems scattered throughout the text are given along with problem-solving strategies. Several of the problems extend previously covered material. Answers to all problems and worked-out solutions to selected problems are also provided.Henk Tijms is the author of several textbooks in the area of applied probability and stochastic optimization. In 2008, he received the prestigious INFORMS Expository Writing Award for his work. He also contributed engaging probability puzzles to The New York Times' former Numberplay column.

In this undergraduate text, the author has distilled the core of probabilistic ideas and methods for computer and data science. The book emphasizes probabilistic and computational thinking rather than theorems and proofs. It provides insights and motivates the students by telling them why probability works and how to apply it.The unique features of the book are as follows:This book contains many worked examples. Numerous instructive problems scattered throughout the text are given along with problem-solving strategies. Several of the problems extend previously covered material. Answers to all problems and worked-out solutions to selected problems are also provided.Henk Tijms is the author of several textbooks in the area of applied probability and stochastic optimization. In 2008, he received the prestigious INFORMS Expository Writing Award for his work. He also contributed engaging probability puzzles to The New York Times' former Numberplay column.

The second edition represents an ongoing effort to make probability accessible to students in a wide range of fields such as mathematics, statistics and data science, engineering, computer science, and business analytics. The book is written for those learning about probability for the first time. Revised and updated, the book is aimed specifically at statistics and data science students who need a solid introduction to the basics of probability.While retaining its focus on basic probability, including Bayesian probability and the interface between probability and computer simulation, this edition's significant revisions are as follows:The approach followed in the book is to develop probabilistic intuition before diving into details. The best way to learn probability is by practising on a lot of problems. Many instructive problems together with problem-solving strategies are given. Answers to all problems and worked-out solutions to selected problems are also provided.Henk Tijms is the author of several textbooks in the area of applied probability. In 2008, he had received the prestigious INFORMS Expository Writing Award for his work. He is active in popularizing probability at Dutch high schools.

Probability has applications in many areas of modern science, not to mention in our daily life. Its importance as a mathematical discipline cannot be overrated, and it is a fascinating and surprising topic in its own right. This engaging textbook with its easy-to-follow writing style provides a comprehensive yet concise introduction to the subject. It covers all of the standard material for undergraduate and first-year-graduate-level courses as well as many topics that are usually not found in standard texts, such as Bayesian inference, Markov chain Monte Carlo simulation, and Chernoff bounds.

This book brings together a variety of probability applications through entertaining stories that will appeal to a broad readership. What are the best stopping rules for the dating problem? What can Bayes' formula tell us about the chances of a Champions League draw for soccer teams being rigged? How could syndicates win millions of lottery dollars by buying a multitude of tickets at the right time? What's the best way to manage your betting bankroll in a game in which you have an edge? How to use probability to debunk quacks and psychic mediums? How can the Monte Carlo simulation be used to solve a wide variety of probability problems? Are seven riffle shuffles of a standard deck of 52 playing cards enough for randomness? Provides seventeen engaging stories that illustrate ideas in probability. Written so as to be suitable for those with minimal mathematical background. Stories can be read independently. Can be used as examples and exercises for teaching introductory probability. These questions and many more are addressed in seventeen short chapters that can be read independently. The engaging stories are instructive and demonstrate valuable probabilistic ideas. They offer students material that they most likely don't learn in class, and offer teachers a new way of teaching their subject.

This book brings together a variety of probability applications through entertaining stories that will appeal to a broad readership. What are the best stopping rules for the dating problem? What can Bayes' formula tell us about the chances of a Champions League draw for soccer teams being rigged? How could syndicates win millions of lottery dollars by buying a multitude of tickets at the right time? What's the best way to manage your betting bankroll in a game in which you have an edge? How to use probability to debunk quacks and psychic mediums? How can the Monte Carlo simulation be used to solve a wide variety of probability problems? Are seven riffle shuffles of a standard deck of 52 playing cards enough for randomness? Provides seventeen engaging stories that illustrate ideas in probability. Written so as to be suitable for those with minimal mathematical background. Stories can be read independently. Can be used as examples and exercises for teaching introductory probability. These questions and many more are addressed in seventeen short chapters that can be read independently. The engaging stories are instructive and demonstrate valuable probabilistic ideas. They offer students material that they most likely don't learn in class, and offer teachers a new way of teaching their subject.

'What makes this book unique among books of similar size and scope is that when the author decided to include something in the book, he has treated it in a way similar to the common practice in textbooks, with very detailed and reader-friendly explanations, fully worked-out examples, and even numerous exercises ... There are no prerequisites beyond second-semester calculus and the book can be used for self-study as well as in the classroom.'CHOICEWritten by international award-winning probability expert Henk Tijms, Basic Probability: What Every Math Student Should Know presents the essentials of elementary probability. The book is primarily written for high school and college students learning about probability for the first time. In a highly accessible way, a modern treatment of the subject is given with emphasis on conditional probability and Bayesian probability, on striking applications of the Poisson distribution, and on the interface between probability and computer simulation.In modern society, it is important to be able to critically evaluate statements of a probabilistic nature presented in the media in order to make informed judgments. A basic knowledge of probability theory is indispensable to logical thinking and statistical literacy. The book provides this knowledge and illustrates it with numerous everyday situations.

'What makes this book unique among books of similar size and scope is that when the author decided to include something in the book, he has treated it in a way similar to the common practice in textbooks, with very detailed and reader-friendly explanations, fully worked-out examples, and even numerous exercises ... There are no prerequisites beyond second-semester calculus and the book can be used for self-study as well as in the classroom.'CHOICEWritten by international award-winning probability expert Henk Tijms, Basic Probability: What Every Math Student Should Know presents the essentials of elementary probability. The book is primarily written for high school and college students learning about probability for the first time. In a highly accessible way, a modern treatment of the subject is given with emphasis on conditional probability and Bayesian probability, on striking applications of the Poisson distribution, and on the interface between probability and computer simulation.In modern society, it is important to be able to critically evaluate statements of a probabilistic nature presented in the media in order to make informed judgments. A basic knowledge of probability theory is indispensable to logical thinking and statistical literacy. The book provides this knowledge and illustrates it with numerous everyday situations.

The second edition represents an ongoing effort to make probability accessible to students in a wide range of fields such as mathematics, statistics and data science, engineering, computer science, and business analytics. The book is written for those learning about probability for the first time. Revised and updated, the book is aimed specifically at statistics and data science students who need a solid introduction to the basics of probability.While retaining its focus on basic probability, including Bayesian probability and the interface between probability and computer simulation, this edition's significant revisions are as follows:The approach followed in the book is to develop probabilistic intuition before diving into details. The best way to learn probability is by practising on a lot of problems. Many instructive problems together with problem-solving strategies are given. Answers to all problems and worked-out solutions to selected problems are also provided.Henk Tijms is the author of several textbooks in the area of applied probability. In 2008, he had received the prestigious INFORMS Expository Writing Award for his work. He is active in popularizing probability at Dutch high schools.