Probability: For the Enthusiastic Beginner

This book is written for high school and college students learning about probability for the first time. It will appeal to the reader who has a healthy level of enthusiasm for understanding how and why the various results of probability come about. All of the standard introductory topics in probability are covered: combinatorics, the rules of probability, Bayes’ theorem, expectation value, variance, probability density, common distributions, the law of large numbers, the central limit theorem, correlation, and regression. Calculus is not a prerequisite, although a few of the problems do involve calculus. These are marked clearly.The book features 150 worked-out problems in the form of examples in the text and solved problems at the end of each chapter. These problems, along with the discussions in the text, will be a valuable resource in any introductory probability course, either as the main text or as a helpful supplement.

David Morin is a Lecturer and the Associate Director of Undergraduate Studies in the Physics Department at Harvard University. He received his A.B. in mathematics from Brown University and his Ph.D. in theoretical particle physics from Harvard University. He is the author of five books, including Introduction to Classical Mechanics (Cambridge University Press, 2008), Electricity and Magnetism (Cambridge University Press, co-author, 2013), and Special Relativity: For the Enthusiastic Beginner (2017). When not writing textbooks, thinking of physics limericks, or conjuring up new problems whose answers involve e or the golden ratio, he can be found running along the Charles River or hiking in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. Resources for his books, along with other educational material, can be found on his Harvard webpage.