Fuzzy Logic and Probability Applications – Bridging the Gap

Probabilists and fuzzy enthusiasts tend to disagree about which philosophy is best and they rarely work together. As a result, textbooks usually suggest only one of these methods for problem solving, but not both. This book is an exception. The authors, investigators from both fields, have combined their talents to provide a practical guide showing that both fuzzy logic and probability have their place in the world of problem solving. They work together with mutual benefit for both disciplines, providing scientists and engineers with examples of and insight into the best tool for solving problems involving uncertainty. Fuzzy Logic and Probability Applications: Bridging the Gap makes an honest effort to show both the shortcomings and benefits of each technique, and even demonstrates useful combinations of the two. It provides clear descriptions of both fuzzy logic and probability, as well as the theoretical background, examples.

Timothy J. Ross is Professor and Regents' Lecturer at the University of New Mexico. He is also a registered professional engineer with 28 years of experience in computational mechanics, hazard survivability, structural dynamics, structural safety and reliability, risk management, and uncertainty quantification using fuzzy sets, possibility, and probability theories. He received his Ph.D. in Civil Engineering from Stanford University. He was awarded a J. William Fulbright Fellowship for study during his sabbatical leave at the Department of Civil Engineering at the University of Calgary, Alberta, for the 2001-2002 academic year. He has been an engineering educator at the University of New Mexico since 1987. He is co-Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Intelligent and Fuzzy Systems, and he has over 120 publications in print, including the textbook, Fuzzy Logic with Engineering Applications (McGraw-Hill, 1995).

Jane M. Booker is a technical staff member of the Weapons Response Group in the Engineering Sciences and Applications Division, and former group leader of the Statistics Group, at Los Alamos National Laboratory. She received her Ph.D. in Statistics from Texas A&M University. Her recent research and development efforts have been in the areas of statistical reliability, information integration methods, uncertainty quantification, and analysis of expert judgment. She has published in various journals and recently co-authored with Mary A. Meyer Eliciting and Analyzing Expert Judgment: A Practical Guide (SIAM, 2001). She is a member of the Institute of Mathematical Statistics, a Fellow of the American Statistical Association, 1995 recipient of the H.O. Hartley award for service to the statistics profession, and recipient of the prestigious R&D 100 Award, presented by R&D Magazine in conjunction with Delphi Automotive Systems, for the reliability methodology PREDICT.

W. Jerry Parkinson is a team leader and technical staff member for the Chemical Process Development Team in the Applied Engineering Technology Group in the Engineering Sciences and Applications Division at Los Alamos National Laboratory. He earned his first Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Southern California and earned his second in Electrical and Computer Engineering from the University of New Mexico. He has 35 years of engineering experience and has spent the past 25 years at Los Alamos National Laboratory. His engineering experience has been primarily in process design and development, but in the past 16 years he has worked extensively in the development of intelligent control systems. He serves on the editorial advisory board for the Journal of Intelligent and Fuzzy Systems and serves as an Adjunct Professor in both the Petroleum and Chemical Engineering Departments at the New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology.