A Modern Introduction to Probability and Statistics

Probability and Statistics are studied by most science students. Many current texts in the area are just cookbooks and, as a result, students do not know why they perform the methods they are taught, or why the methods work. The strength of this book is that it readdresses these shortcomings; by using examples, often from real-life and using real data, the authors show how the fundamentals of probabilistic and statistical theories arise intuitively. A Modern Introduction to Probability and Statistics has numerous quick exercises to give direct feedback to students. In addition there are over 350 exercises, half of which have answers, of which half have full solutions. A website gives access to the data files used in the text, and, for instructors, the remaining solutions. The only pre-requisite is a first course in calculus; the text covers standard statistics and probability material, and develops beyond traditional parametric models to the Poisson process, and on to modern methods such as the bootstrap. This textbook provides a well-written first course in probability and statistics...It is a book that has been written based on the long teaching experience of the authors and I would certainly recommend it for university coursework. Short Book Reviews of the International Statistical Institute, December 2005