Another title in the reissued Oxford Classic Texts in the Physical Sciences series, Jeffrey's Theory of Probability, first published in 1939, was the first to develop a fundamental theory of scientific inference based on the ideas of Bayesian statistics. His ideas were way ahead of their time and it is only in the past ten years that the subject of Bayes' factors has been significantly developed and extended. Until recently the two schools of statistics (Bayesian and Frequentist) were distinctly different and set apart. Recent work (aided by increased computer power and availability) has changed all that and today's graduate students and researchers all require an understanding of Bayesian ideas. This book is their starting point.

This compact volume equips the reader with all the facts and principles essential to a fundamental understanding of the theory of probability. It is an introduction, no more: throughout the book the authors discuss the theory of probability for situations having only a finite number of possibilities, and the mathematics employed is held to the elementary level. But within its purposely restricted range it is extremely thorough, well organized, and absolutely authoritative. It is the only English translation of the latest revised Russian edition; and it is the only current translation on the market that has been checked and approved by Gnedenko himself. After explaining in simple terms the meaning of the concept of probability and the means by which an event is declared to be in practice, impossible, the authors take up the processes involved in the calculation of probabilities. They survey the rules for addition and multiplication of probabilities, the concept of conditional probability, the formula for total probability, Bayes's formula, Bernoulli's scheme and theorem, the concepts of random variables, insufficiency of the mean value for the characterization of a random variable, methods of measuring the variance of a random variable, theorems on the standard deviation, the Chebyshev inequality, normal laws of distribution, distribution curves, properties of normal distribution curves, and related topics. The book is unique in that, while there are several high school and college textbooks available on this subject, there is no other popular treatment for the layman that contains quite the same material presented with the same degree of clarity and authenticity. Anyone who desires a fundamental grasp of this increasingly important subject cannot do better than to start with this book. New preface for Dover edition by B. V. Gnedenko.

Probability theory

From classical foundations to modern theory, this comprehensive guide to probability interweaves mathematical proofs, historical context and detailed illustrative applications.

Aimed primarily at graduate students and researchers, this text is a comprehensive course in modern probability theory and its measure-theoretical foundations. It covers a wide variety of topics, many of which are not usually found in introductory textbooks. The theory is developed rigorously and in a self-contained way, with the chapters on measure theory interlaced with the probabilistic chapters in order to display the power of the abstract concepts in the world of probability theory. In addition, plenty of figures, computer simulations, biographic details of key mathematicians, and a wealth of examples support and enliven the presentation.

The Theory of Probability is a major tool that can be used to explain and understand the various phenomena in different natural, physical and social sciences. This book provides a systematic exposition of the theory in a setting which contains a balanced mixture of the classical approach and the modern day axiomatic approach. After reviewing the basis of the theory, the book considers univariate distributions, bivariate normal distribution, multinomial distribution and convergence of random variables. Difficult ideas have been explained lucidly and have been augmented with explanatory notes, examples and exercises. The basic requirement for reading this book is simply a knowledge of mathematics at graduate level. This book tries to explain the difficult ideas in the axiomatic approach to the theory of probability in a clear and comprehensible manner. It includes several unusual distributions including the power series distribution that have been covered in great detail. Readers will find many worked-out examples and exercises with hints, which will make the book easily readable and engaging. The author is a former Professor of the Indian Statistical Institute, India.

This classic introduction to probability theory for beginning graduate students covers laws of large numbers, central limit theorems, random walks, martingales, Markov chains, ergodic theorems, and Brownian motion. It is a comprehensive treatment concentrating on the results that are the most useful for applications. Its philosophy is that the best way to learn probability is to see it in action, so there are 200 examples and 450 problems. The fourth edition begins with a short chapter on measure theory to orient readers new to the subject.

Students and teachers of mathematics and related fields will find this book a comprehensive and modern approach to probability theory, providing the background and techniques to go from the beginning graduate level to the point of specialization in research areas of current interest. The book is designed for a two- or three-semester course, assuming only courses in undergraduate real analysis or rigorous advanced calculus, and some elementary linear algebra. A variety of applications—Bayesian statistics, financial mathematics, information theory, tomography, and signal processing—appear as threads to both enhance the understanding of the relevant mathematics and motivate students whose main interests are outside of pure areas.

Using the Kolmogorov model, this intermediate-level text discusses random variables, probability distributions, mathematical expectation, random processes, more. For advanced undergraduates students of science, engineering, or math. Includes problems with answers and six appendixes. 1965 edition.