Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0521835402 ISBN 13: 9780521835404

Publisher: Cambridge University Press, 2005

Assuming only an elementary background in discrete mathematics, this textbook is an excellent introduction to the probabilistic techniques and paradigms used in the development of probabilistic algorithms and analyses. It includes random sampling, expectations, Markov's and Chevyshev's inequalities, Chernoff bounds, balls and bins models, the probabilistic method, Markov chains, MCMC, martingales, entropy, and other topics. The book is designed to accompany a one- or two-semester course for graduate students in computer science and applied mathematics.

Book Description:

Randomization and probabilistic techniques play an important role in modern computer science, with applications ranging from combinatorial optimization and machine learning to communication networks and secure protocols.Assuming only an elementary background in discrete mathematics, this textbook is designed to accompany a one- or two-semester course for advanced undergraduates or beginning graduate students in computer science and applied mathematics. It gives an excellent introduction to the probabilistic techniques and paradigms used in the development of probabilistic algorithms and analyses, including random sampling, expectations, Markov's and Chevyshev's inequalities, Chernoff bounds, balls and bins models, the probabilistic method, Markov chains, MCMC, martingales, entropy, and other topics.

About the Author:

Michael Miztenmacher is a John L. Loeb Associate Professor in Computer Science at Harvard University. Having written nearly 100 articles on a variety of topics in computer science, his research focuses on randomized algorithms and networks. He has received an NSF CAREER Award and an Alfred P. Sloan Research Fellowship. In 2002, he shared the IEEE Information Theory Society Best Paper Award for his work on error-correcting codes.