Probability and Statistics for Engineers and Scientists Fourth Edition

Abstract

As before, the primary guidelines governing the development of the fourth edition of this textbook have been to extend the strengths of the previous editions that have resulted in its adoption worldwide for teaching probability and statistics at both undergraduate and graduate levels. The cornerstone of the success of this textbook has been that it is full of real examples, which I believe is the best way to teach and capture the interests of students. It is clearly important to include examples that are relevant to engineering. However, it is just as important to incorporate examples that are interesting to both the instructor and the students. In the fourth edition new examples have been included relating to internet use together with green and sustainable practices. This textbook has been built around three main pedagogical tenets: (1) talk to students with a language and vocabulary that students find familiar from their other science and engineering courses, (2) provide clear explanations and expositions of the statistical concepts that students need for their work and research, and (3) provide a firm reinforcement of the theoretical concepts in interesting examples to which the students can relate. Moreover, the foundation underlying all my teaching activities is my conviction that teaching is a valuable and noble enterprise and that it is worthwhile to devote time and energy toward doing it as well as possible. The education of the following generations is an important way for us to pay back something in response to the many advantages and opportunities that we have been afforded in our own lives. This book has been adopted for undergraduate sequences providing an introduction to data analysis from probability theory through basic statistical techniques and leading to more advanced statistical inference methods. The book has also been used for graduate-level service courses, and it provides a useful handbook for researchers in engineering and the sciences. It is intended for students with reasonable quantitative abilities, although it is designed mainly to provide an applied rather than a theoretical exposition.