Customer Reviews (1)

KISS principle Probability curriculum. Good stuff!
Delivers exactly as the title promises, problem solving skills and skill reinforcement while presenting a clear understanding of probabilities. I LOVE this text. ... Read more

Product Description
Statistics textbook, offering a description of the basis, application and interpretation of statistics. New to the second edition: extensions of the multivariate applications, logistic regression, and log-linear methodology. Assumes readers have access to a statistical computing package. DLC: Research--Statistical methods. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Excellent for Quantitative Computer Science Research!
Finally a good and thorough book on statistical methods. Most of the books I've investigated are either of the traditional mathematical style (which are strong on probability theory, weak on methods), or guides to quantitative research in social sciences (which are usually quite "lightweight" and a bit off-track for computer scientists). This book gives very good explanations on when to choose which distribution and experimental setup based on the nature of your problem.

This book is suitable for:
1. those who are using quantitative methods in their research
2. those who felt they had a good grasp on calculating probability and statistics, but never got a grasp on when to use which statistical methods and setting up statistical experiments. ... Read more

Product Description
This book introduces you to the study of statistics and data analysis by using real data and attention-grabbing examples. The authors guide you through an intuition-based learning process that stresses interpretation and communication of statistical information. They help you grasp concepts and cement your comprehension by using simple notation-frequently substituting words for symbols. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Required Text
For a statistics book, this is just a cut above the rest. I didn't use any of the companion software or internet features, but really, why would you need to? This book has it all. Example Problems. Problems. Answers to some of the problems. Skyboxes. Lots of graphs. I mean, the book teaches you how to make and read graphs, though it could use a bit more information on appropriate use of the different types of graphic representation of data.

It's a very good textbook!
I read this book before I puchased it. It's good for students who don't have the strong background in statistics because the authors used very clear words to explain the statistic formulas.
I love the summary of key concepts and formulas very much. I strongly recommend evryone to buy it because you will love it. ... Read more

Product Description

Selling over 220,000 copies in its first edition, Schaum's Outline of Probability and Statistics has become a vital resource for the more than 977,000 college students who enroll in related probability and statistics courses each year. Its big-picture, calculus-based approach makes it an especially authoriatative reference for engineering and science majors. Now thoroughly update, this second edition includes vital new coverage of order statistics, best critical regions, likelihood ratio tests, and other key topics.

Customer Reviews (22)

Pretty Good
I had never studied these topics in college and was always curious about them. This book was a pretty good introduction for self study, but I have seen some that are a bit better, but much more expensive than this one. Recommended.

Glad it is still around
I have an old copy of this book that's kept together with duct tape. I have no idea how old Spiegel must be.This is a book I have used over the years to look up formulas, explain to co-workers how to do things, and show examples and worked problems. I heartily recommend this to anyone learning on their own (or with a weak enough instructor so it seems like it).

It helped me through many difficulties in probability and statistics
The most difficult class I had in my math major was probability and statistics. It was the last class I had to take and because of low enrollment, I was forced to take it at a neighboring college. Therefore, not only was I in an unfamiliar building, I also had a teacher that I had never had before. To that point, I had been either blessed or cursed, depending on your point of view, by having had only two different math teachers. The teacher for the probability and statistics class also had a style completely different from what I was accustomed too. Finally, since it was also the very last class I had to take as an undergraduate, it was difficult to overcome the disease of "senioritis", where one just wants to get it over with.
In an attempt to get overcome of these problems, I purchased a copy of this book at the local bookstore and worked through the problems. I set certain times in the week where I was to work only on these problems and when I was done I rewarded myself with small treats. I found the problems in this book to be reasonable reflections of what we were covering and the solutions made it much easier to understand what the instructor was saying.
In the end, I pulled a B in the class and was happy to get it. Much of that was due to the work I did with this book, it was at times a struggle and if the problems would not have been as easy to follow as they are, it is quite possible that I would have quit working them and suffered for it.

A great supplement to my text Intro to Mathematical Statistics by Hogg, McKean and Craig
I am currently taking a mathematical statistics class using Intro to Mathematical Statistics by Hogg, McKean and Craig.This is a great supplement.I gave it a 4 instead of a 5 because it could not replace a good textbook but as a supplement I would probably give it a 5.

Good as a refresher
This book is good as a "refesher", but those starting a probability course will find it hard to grasp theconcepts and ideas from probability and statistics. The beginner would be better off with the insightful book Understanding Probability from Cambridge University Press. This book contains also a great introduction to Bayesian statistics. ... Read more

Product Description
Priced very competitively compared with other textbooks at this level!
This gracefully organized textbook reveals the rigorous theory of probability and statistical inference in the style of a tutorial, using worked examples, exercises, numerous figures and tables, and computer simulations to develop and illustrate concepts.

Beginning with an introduction to the basic ideas and techniques in probability theory and progressing to more rigorous topics, Probability and Statistical Inference

Customer Reviews (7)

Nitis ROMANCES Statistical Inference. Excellent Alternative to Hogg, McKean, Craig
I have recently begun reading this book alongside the assigned text (Hogg, Mckean, Craig) for an intro to statistical theory course.

Both are terrific texts but this book really shines with its nonmathematical touches. In most chapters, Nitis romances the topic with a bit of history, examples, and enthusiasm. Such warm up is absent from other texts resulting in a mechanical and disappointingly unsatisfying experience. By putting students in the "mood" the Nitis text ensures that students will come back for more.

Elementary Statistics
I'm studying statistics and i really found this book very good and easy reading.It contains a lot of examples and clever tricks!

Solutions?
This is actually a very nice text, and is easy reading, if you have atleast completed calc III.

The major draw back to this book is that it doesn't provide any solutions to end-of-chapter problems. As a result, you have no way of knowing if you have done the problem correctly. As a result, one needs to search through other texts to find similar problems to check there work. Based on this flaw, I would not recommend using this book as a reference, or as a required text for a graduate level Math Stat class.

The best textbook EVER!
The textbook is the BEST in stat inference. You will find lots of examples, many tricks, and it's easy-reading

The best textbook EVER!
The textbook is the BEST in stat inference. You will find lots of examples, many tricks, and it's easy-reading! ... Read more

Product Description
Praise for the Second Edition

"Statistics for Research has other fine qualities besidessuperior organization. The examples and the statistical methods are laid outwith unusual clarity by the simple device of using special formats for each.The book was written with great care and is extremely user-friendly."—The UMAPJournal

Although the goals and procedures of statistical researchhave changed little since the Second Edition of Statistics for Research waspublished, the almost universal availability of personal computers andstatistical computing application packages have made it possible for today'sstatisticians to do more in less time than ever before.

The Third Edition of this bestselling text reflects how thechanges in the computing environment have transformed the way statisticalanalyses are performed today. Based on extensive input from universitystatistics departments throughout the country, the authors have made severalimportant and timely revisions, including:

• Additional material on probability appears early in the text
• New sections on odds ratios, ratio and difference estimations, repeated measure analysis, and logistic regression
• New examples and exercises, many from the field of the health sciences
• Printouts of computer analyses on all complex procedures
• An accompanying Web site illustrating how to use SAS® and JMP® for all procedures

The text features the most commonly used statisticaltechniques for the analysis of research data. As in the earlier editions,emphasis is placed on how to select the proper statistical procedure and how tointerpret results. Whenever possible, to avoid using the computer as a "blackbox" that performs a mysterious process on the data, actual computationalprocedures are also given.

A must for scientists who analyze data, professionals andresearchers who need a self-teaching text, and graduate students in statisticalmethods, Statistics for Research, Third Edition brings the methodology up todate in a very practical and accessible way. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Excellent Course book
Since I am taking an advance statistics course this semester, this book was recommended by the instructor.
It is an excellent stats book. Very easy to read.
One very good aspect of the book is that single example is used and analysed using different methods. Thus you don't have to look into the example again and again to know the data. By the time you are half way through the chapter, you already know the data.
Highly recommended

Great book
I used this book in a graduate introductory statistics course and thought it was great.The book is written very well and clear. Only problem is that some of the notations they use in the equations and are incorrect and can confusing.

excellent book
This book is really useful for beginners. Easy to understand, has detailed examples.

Great well-rounded text
I stumbled on this text while trying to understand nested design for analysis of variance. Better than any other text I used, this book helped me to understand the calculation steps as well as the underlying theory. (All the other texts I used had holes in their explanation.) This has become my favorite statistics reference. ... Read more

Product Description
The second edition of a well-received book that was published 24 years ago and continues to sell to this day, An Introduction to Probability and Statistics is now revised to incorporate new information as well as substantial updates of existing material. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Solid introduction to probability and statistics
I used this book in one of my advanced probability courses, and it helped me to improve my understanding of the theory behind probability. It definitely requires a background in probability and as the author says it's not a "cookbook", but a mathematics text.

The authors develop the theory based on Kolmogorov axioms which solidly founds probability upon measure theory. All the concepts, limit theorems and statistical tests are introduced with mathematical rigor. I'm giving this book 4 stars cause sometimes, the text gets extremely dense and technical. Some intuitive explanations would be helpful.

Though, this is the right book for the mathematicians, industrial engineers and computer scientists wishing to have a strong background in probability and statistics. But, beware: not suitable for the novice in undergrad.

Good for 2 groups of readers.
This book is suitable for 2 sets of audiences:

a) Those without prior knowledge of Probability and Statistics, but with a strong maths background;
b) Those who already have a reasonable knowledge in Probability and Statistics (like myself, I hope), who want a more technical cut to their knowledge. After all, probability and statistics should involve heavy use of matehematics at higher level.

On the other hand, if your maths background is not so strong, I would suggest a less technical book first, such as Mood, Graybill, Boes, which is easier to follow. Then once your basic Probability and Statistics knowledge is reasonable, you can move on to Rohatgi, which will give you a more technical cut. ... Read more

Product Description

Customer Reviews (6)

great book
This is a great book, thin enough and hence not too intimidating. It covers some basic theory, and very readable.

Okay by me
I have Ash's IEEE books on Calculus, and Probability. They are outstanding companions to what ever text you use for those subjects. They are good references for refreshing knowledge. This book is not them. It is written more for an accademic. If you want theory and proof from Dr. Ash, this is it. I would use this one and the IEEE book on Probability together.

Pretty good book for basic probability theory
This is a small book.
Actually, if you want to grab a book that can cover the whole material about probability, this won't be a good choice.
However, just as the first step to study probability, I think this book is a good choice.

There is a solution for odd number exercises in this book.
(If you search the webpage of author, you check other solutions for even number!)

Excellent introduction to probability
This book is well-written and a good introduction to probability theory. There isn't a class taught at my local college on this subject, yet it's used in so many other math classes!

Very readable, a jewel
I studied the basics of probability from this book and I reccomend it to anyone interested in the subject.At that time (epoch...) I simply found the book by Feller too wordy and large and took this one as an alternative and I must say it did the job finely.It is not 'for dummies,' but it is very readable and complete with all steps necessary to understand the ideas and techniques presented.I disagree a little bit with an other reviewer that stated that this book is sort of an intermediate level text - it only requires knowledge of single-variable calculus.Incredibly cheap edition by Dover. ... Read more

Product Description
The purpose of "The Pleasures of Probability" is to introduce some of the most fundamental ideas in classical probability to a fairly general audience - reaching from mathematical amateurs to scientists, from students to professional mathematicians. The only prerequisites required are a decent background in elementary algebra and an interest in discussions of a variety of problems and applications in probability. The style is informal, and the chapters are more like essays on a particular topic than textbook treatments. Even well-known problems are often covered in more depth than usual in order to illustrate underlying ideas. The book can be used as a text for a first course in probability or as a companion to a text. Each chapter ends with a few problems, the answers to which are given at the end of the book. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

nice intro to probability
Professor Isaac has written a book for those interested in learning about probability. It is at a high school algebra level although knowledge of calculus could be helpful at times. He starts with the now famous Monte Hall problem and provides the most lucid explanation I have seen to date. This is a great way to introduce important probability notions such as sample space and probability models for the sample outcomes. Deals mainly with discrete probability which is easiest to understand and yet rich with applications in gambling and other areas.
Important theory is presented but without the detailed mathematical proofs. Covers the gambler's ruin, geometric probability, Monte Carlo methods and some statistical decision theory. He also presents both the frequentist (throughout the text)and the Bayesian paradigms (Chapter 4) for statistical inference. Examples of the application of probability to statistical inference is nicely treated in Chapter 15. The deeper material on Markov chains and Brownian motion are relegated to the last two chapters (16 and 17). The exposition is excellent throughout and many good references are provided for readers who want to learn more or delve deeper into the theory.

very good book - fun for amateurs
This is a wonderful book for both the serious and amateur mathematician. For the serious student and practitioner it will provide an excellent background. For the amateur who enjoy dabbling and reading about math, this is a wonderful book - just read the opening section which explains clearly and an illustrated fashion the Monty Hall problem.

Excellent introduction
This introduction to probability and statistics teaches you about important concepts, theorems and applications without going into proving most of them. It's easily accessible to amateur mathematicians with a bitof persistance, and it illuminates many of its concepts using famousproblems. I'm going to take a statistics course next year, and I found thisto be a delightful introduction to the topic. ... Read more

Product Description
This book grew from a one-semester course offered for many years to a mixed audience of graduate and undergraduate students who have not had the luxury of taking a course in measure theory.The core of the book covers the basic topics of independence, conditioning, martingales, convergence in distribution, and Fourier transforms.In addition there are numerous sections treating topics traditionally thought of as more advanced, such as coupling and the KMT strong approximation, option pricing via the equivalent martingale measure, and the isoperimetric inequality for Gaussian processes. The book is not just a presentation of mathematical theory, but is also a discussion of why that theory takes its current form.It will be a secure starting point for anyone who needs to invoke rigorous probabilistic arguments and understand what they mean. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

interesting perspective
I spent long hours learning probability theory from Billingsley's book, which is worth every bit of effort I put in. Then, by chance I picked up this book from the library, and could not put it down. After finished the book, I wend ahead to buy a copy.

Contrary to an earlier reviewer, I appreciate very much the same symbol for probability and expectation, which allows a quite natural and united treatment of the two important concepts. It brings great clarity. Also, de Finetti's notation, once introduced, seems only natural.

The tempo of the book is at once deliberate and brisk. The author makes excellent judgment selecting the coverage. He also makes good decision on when to slow down and get dirty, and when to be brief and cover territory. The discussions in the book, combining simple explanation motivation and intuition, provides exciting road map for exploring in the first reading and for surveying in later readings.

Excellent book!

Excellent and idiosyncratic
There is no shortage of graduate-level probability textbooks. Theclassics (Ash, Billingsley, Breiman) have been partly replaced by (among others) Dudley, Shiryaev, and Durrett (the de facto gold standard). You can now Pollard's book to the list. It is written in a peculiar style, conversational yet rigorous. The author does not hide his preferences and feelings toward theorems, and I find this useful and illuminating, as it helps the reader sort the essential material from the ancillary. Most importantly, the choice of topics is truly unique. Clearly, the goal is to cover the basics very well, rather than offer an assortment of theorems. For example, the ergodic theorem (a mainstay of every textbook) is nowhere to be found. However, you can find advanced material that are becoming important tools for the applied probabilist (esp. the of the mathematical statistics variety) as well as advanced applications. Random examples: isoperimetric inequality, Dobb's theorem on consistency of posterior measures, coupling, multivariate normal distributions. Overall, I have read half of the book, and loved it. In my list of personal favorites, it ranks second behind William's booklet ("Probability with Martingales"). Like William's book, this is a quick, enjoyable, rigorous introduction to probabilistic tools. I am perfectly comfortable with a selection of topics, as long they are covered rigorously, they are motivated, and their relative importance is stressed. When this happens, the reader is well equipped to read a monography (e.g., Karatzas & Shreve) or a reference book (e.g., Kallenberg) for the in-depth study that subjects like ergodic theorem or brownian motion require.

Not recommended for beginners
This is an interesting book. It presents a rather complicated and difficult subject in a chatty un-math-book like way. I personally like that some of the time. I feel, however, that some things are just explained better when the presentation is more straightforward. The author jumps around a lot. I would really not recommend it for someone new to the subject. Get a more standard text. This book is better for someone who is already aquainted with the subject somewhat. Once you already know about the topics you can come back to this book and learn a lot more from it. But then again that is almost always true. What is the best book on probability? The fourth one you read. ;-D

fantastic but very difficult
i took probability theory with prof pollard using this book. at the time, i found the book to be very difficult and frustrating. i don't know if i would recommand it to the casual reader. however if you're really interested in probability theory and analysis in general, this is definitely the companion for you. indeed, after many a readings, i've found it to become an indispensable friend. it'll defnitely change the way you think about mathematics.

Worst book ever
This is the worst book you will find on measure theory and probability. The author does not provide any good explaination of any topic, and seem to be writing a comic book rather than a math book. Measure theory, which is covered in chapter-2 doesn't explain even the very basics and the actual content is put in an appendix. Furthermore, the author assumes that the reader is not interested in masure theory, so he resorts telling a lot of catch phrases. If you are writing a book, you should not hand wave and write jokes where mathematical arguments are needed.

Another annoying aspect of this book is that the author uses the P symbol for both probability and expectation. I found it very confusing (and contrary to author's claim that it "aids understanding," it only got me more frustrated.)

Probability and measure theory are simple concepts, if explained probability. For some reason, most books try to complicate things. I used to have great respect for Cambride University Press, but I don't know how this book got through their editorial process. ... Read more

Product Description
This highly-regarded text serves as a quick reference book which offers clear, concise instructions on how and when to use the most popular nonparametric procedures. This edition features some procedures that have withstood the test of time and are now used by many practitioners, such as the Fisher Exact Test for two-by-two contingency tables, the Mantel-Haenszel Test for combining several contingency tables, the Kaplan-Meier estimates of the survival curve, the Jonckheere-Terpstra Test and the Page Test for ordered alternatives, and a discussion of the bootstrap method. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (8)

book is alright, seller sucks
I ended up only browsing through this book and ended up needing to return it and the seller was absolutely horrible about returns.
I think in the end I spent $15 returning it to them, and I never saw a cent of my money from the return.

excellent update
Since I now have a copy of the third edition I can now say that many of my comments on the second edition still hold. The book is authoritative, clearly written and very much applications oriented. Conover has done a good job of updating it with recent developments. He provides a nice introductory treatment of bootstrap among other things.

Heavy on theory... but not practical
I purchased this book for work since many of the performance metrics/data we study at an electric utility do not follow a normal distribution.

When reading the term "Practical" in the book title I had hoped for the following:
1. What each technique is and is used for;
2. Some real world examples for application;
3. Assumptions and conditions;
4. How to apply the technique;
5. Pitfalls to avoid in its application.

Instead the book is organized in a very academic manner where theory is presented without practical or reasonably accessible application examples.

In summary, the book is okay, but the term "Practical" in the book title is highly misleading. A more "Practical" source for some simple and useful (although limited intro to) nonparametrics is contained in Ramsey's "Intermediate Statistics for Dummies". I was hoping Conover's book would help me pick up additional practical nonparametric techniques, but I've only found tedious algorithms. I don't mind the math, but a good book should not overlook intuition.

Practical indeed!
This book is a great reference for the scientist needing to know how best to interpret their results.It has clear explanations for when to use particular tests as well as how to use the tests when multiple observers are rating the same event.Analogous parametric tests are mentioned along with comparisons (A.R.E.) of their relative efficiency.

This was much better info than I got from the statisticians at my workplace - of course, the statisticians want to keep my business, not tell me how to do it!

Clear and practical
Standard statistics make assumptions about how the data are distributed, then give results based on the assumed distribution. Two big problems are that the distribution buried in the analysis may not be the right one, and that the assumption might not even be visible in the analysis. "Nonparametric statistics" (NPS) make no assumptions about the distribution. They work no matter how the data are distributed. Even better, they sometimes work to determine whether the standard techniques have any hope of giving answers.

For the practitioner, this book is the broadest catalog I know of how-to for NPS: when each analysis applies and how to apply it. Even more, it gives insight into how some of the tests work. That gives the reader a better chance to understand each technique's strengths, weaknesses, and applicability. For the student, including self-taught, it's a clear and well-organized textbook. The exercises are varied and generally meaningful, and half have answers (though little discussion of how the answers were derived).

I wish the book gave more background, including how some of the distributions are derived. Most times, seeing more of the derivation gives me more confidence in using an analysis. Face it, almost every real-life situation needs to be bashed a bit to fit the format expected by a test. Knowing more of the background gives me more assurance that my machinations don't break any important assumptions. Still, it's the author's choice to emphasize practice over theory and I have to respect that.

More seriously, I would like to see the bootstrapping section enlarged. Many modern applications, particularly in biology, deal with data so complex that they define analysis or even real understanding. Bootstrapping is just one of many randomization and resampling techniques used for such data. More discussion on the design and analysis of resampling techniques would have been very useful.

The book meets its goals, though, and does so admirably. I'm not a stat specialist, but this is the book I'll recommend for heavy users who want a little more than rote recitation of analytic techniques. ... Read more

Product Description
This watershed resource shows how to use various probabilistic methods and approaches in practical problems of engineering and applied science. These methods enable readers to understand the behavior andperformance of engineering products in the conditions of variability and uncertainty, and to ensure the effectiveness and durability of these products. Intended for engineers and applied scientists of different specialities, backgrounds, qualifications, and levels of experience, this straightforward and easy-to-use guide offers practical insight into the role of the ``laws of chance'' and causes and effects of variability in numerous design problems encountered in mechanical, structural, materials, reliability, telecommunications, and other areas of engineering. The book contains dozens of practical examples that demonstrate the key role that probabilistic methods can play in the analysis and design of viable and reliable engineering components, products, and systems. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

The content of the book is one of the most exhaustive...
The content of this book is probably one of the most exhaustive that covers both introductory materials and rather wide-ranging and advanced applications of probability in various engineering disciplines. It isuseful for engineering students who wish to see the applicability ofprobability to real world problems. The main strength lies in Chapter 15,which presents examples of some engineering systems that, involvedsophisticated probabilistic analysis. The remaining chapters deal with moreadvanced topics without the painstaking rigor of the theory involved. Theyserve as a quick reference to most probabilistic problems encountered inengineering applications and are best suited to practitioners who merelywant to know how to use results. These will also fit in well as notes fortraining course as more detailed insights and discussions would have beensupplemented and the practical limitations of the results would have beenexplained during the course.

...the book provides a guide for solving practical problems
Dr. Suhir's book provides a rare and excellent combination of an in-depth and comprehensive introduction to the subject of the applied probability for engineers and scientists, and a useful guide for solving versatilepractical problems associated with uncertainty in the analysis and designof various engineering and physical systems. Whatever your field ofengineering or applied science, you will find the book both enlighteningand helpful.

...what struck me about the book was how well it was written
Dr.Suhir has recently published a very well reviewed book entitled "Applied Probability for Engineers and Scientists", McGraw-Hill, 1997, that has an excellent treatment of applications of the theory topractical problems. In addition to its scholarship, what struck me aboutthe book was how well it was written.

Suhir's book belongs to the leading monographs in the field
Dr. Suhir's book "Applied Probability for Engineers and Scientists" belongs to the leading monographs in the field. It is well known among specialists working in probabilistic modeling. In Germanyseveral research projects have been carried out in electronics,mechatronics and MEMS based on the concepts and approaches described in Dr.Suhir's book. This book presents the state-of-the-art knowledge ofprobabilistic approach to engineering. It describes the major concepts,methods and fundamental tools of applied theory of probability. Unlikereference books that focus on only a few aspects of probabilistic methods,Suhir's book explains all of the basic tools in the field of probabilityanalysis for engineers and applied scientists. The main objective of thisexcellent book is to be suitable for students, young engineers and youngscientists, but it is also an important source of knowledge for practicingand research engineers, managers and college professors in various fieldsof engineering. The book contains many examples that demonstrate theimportance of probabilistic methods for reliability engineering in variousfields of application. "Applied Probability for Engineers andScientists" can also be used as introduction into the world ofprobability for design, production and quality engineers, decision makers,research scientists and students who are or wish to be engaged inprobability engineering, e.g. in probabilistic failure analysis, qualitycontrol and related fields. With"Applied Probability for Engineersand Scientists" you learn a lot about the full range of probabilisticconcepts, from the introductory to the advanced level, and gain a deeperunderstanding in this important area of engineering approach. You can finda lot of very valuable practical examples and hints that demonstrate thekey role that probabilistic methods can play in different fields in scienceand technology.

This book ought to be on every engineer's bookshelf
Ephraim Suhir's new book, "Applied Probability for Scientists and Engineers", makes the power of theoretical statistics accessible to scientists and engineers through numerous examples and practicalapplications. His in-depth experience dealing with the manufacture,mechanical performance and reliability of electronic and other components,as well as his background in theoretical statistics make the authoreminently qualified for such a task. This book ought to be on everyscientist and engineer's bookshelf as a handy reference for a wide range ofpractical applications --from large-scale aerospace and building structuresto microelectronics. There are a number of areas where statistical methods,especially some new little-used applications detailed in this book, can beused to great effect, but they have been largely inaccessible. The authoris to be commended for making statistical methods more readily availablefor everyday applications. ... Read more

Product Description
Popular science/hobbyist writer Stan Gibilisco covers every important aspect of basic (algebra-based) statistics, including: notation and jargon, describing, tables, graphs, randomness and uncertainty, probability principles, distributions, obtaining and interpreting data, correlation, causation, and more. You'll be able to learn more in less time, evaluate your areas of strength and weakness and reinforce your knowledge and confidence. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (15)

STATISTICS DEMYSTIFIED
The book was brand new as promised and the delivery time was fairly quick.I would order from this company again.

No Mumbo Jumbo
I fell in love with this text beginning with the review ofbasic mathematical concepts. I like many others in my age group were weened on the "new math"(read victimized)and never quite got past the point of communicative v distributive properties.This book on the other hand strives to enable the reader to understandthe tenets of a particular area without requiring very abstract thought processes.

It's taken me 43 years to realize the term irrational number is connected to the concept of ratio and not the psyche. I found the same teaching strategy evident through all the chapters of this book.

Independent study/ class readiness
This books introduction states that it is a high school level text. Crap to that. I am an older adult with too much time on my hands and this sucks it up for a few weeks. Tough and packed with vocabulary and problems to help understand the whole range of statistical uses and processes. Before I was pretty much limited to Mark Twains comment -"Lies, damn lies, and statistics", now I am seeing the news with a different set of perspectives. I found the book well worth the work and time I have invested in it, and a gentle introduction to a topic that has scared me off in the past.

Great Book.
This is the best book I have read on statistics. It is very easy to understand, yet explains the concepts enough so that I felt like I had learned quite a bit. It is well written and clear.

A good book for review but......
I just completed a year of graduate level Bio-stats. I thought this book would be a good way to cement the concepts I have learned in my long term memory. First, I would say that any review is helpful and this book is helpful. I commend the author for putting together a book of this kind.

That said, I have some problems with this book. After a few chapters I decided to check out the author's credentials. It seems he published multiple books on electronics. The biggest downfall of this book is the authors excessive use of radio frequencies and similar themes for examples. If that kind of subject matter works for you than it will be a great book. Also, the author uses many different symbols from what I was taught. This is not the worst problem in the world but it is a detraction.

All in all I gave this book a 3 stars, I feel it isbit generous but there aren't any others out there. ... Read more

Product Description
This textbook emphasizes the applications of statistics and probability to finance.Students are assumed to have had a prior course in statistics, but no background in finance or economics.The basics of probability and statistics are reviewed and more advanced topics in statistics, such as regression, ARMA and GARCH models, the bootstrap, and nonparametric regression using splines, are introduced as needed.The classical methods of finance such as portfolio theory, CAPM, and the Black-Scholes formula are covered, and there is an introduction to the somewhat newer area of behavioral finance.Applications and use of MATLAB and SAS software are stressed.

The book course serve as a text in courses aimed at advanced undergraduates and masters students in statistics, engineering, and applied mathematics as well as quantitatively oriented MBA students.It could also be used for self-study by those in the finance industry wishing to know more statistics. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

Amit
A must have book for anybody looking to learn statistics as applied to finance. Explainations are as elaborative as provided in other great books like Hull and Neftci. I strongly recommend this book!

Great book!
I am a post graduate student in Finland. I've been trying to find a suitable book which would take me a step further after Luenberger's Investment Science (Cochrane's book is a too large leap for me). This excellent book which does just that. It covers interesting topics such as Michaud's resampling, volatility surfaces and interest rate models. The treatment of various topics is rather short though. However, after each chapter Ruppert has a bibliography where he recommends additional reading for each subject.

Text is extremely readable and even though I am not in MIT like some reviewers (possibly meaning that I might not be that smart) I found the text easy to understand and the examples in the book really help to elaborate the text. If you want some light reading that tells you a little about a lot, this is the book for you.


In addition, you can find some nice R code for the book which a little bit of googling.

Avoid Like Michael Jackson at a Chuck E. Cheese
Ruppert tries to cover too many topics in too few pages. As a result, the treatment of topics is perfunctory at best, and the exercises are almost nonexistent. If you really want to learn the material, look at the table of contents, and for each chapter, buy a separate textbook.

great book, especially for statisticians
This book is an ambitious and unique combination of stat and finance - and because of the very close relationship of the two areas, this book is excellent and useful for 1) statisticians who want to learn financial modeling; and 2) financial analysts who need to understand the underlying stat concepts at a relatively advanced level. It is generally well-written and the author provides clear explanation on many finance theories.

a good new book
an interesting and authoritative perspective on many things of practical interest in asset management ... Read more

Product Description
Explores probability and statistics from the ``Hungarian construction'' viewpoint. Concentrates on renewal and related processes, on weighted approximations of empirical and quantile processes and on the asymptotic distributions of functionals of these weighted processes. Also covers strong approximations of partial sums of independent identically distributed random variables and general quantile processes and their approximations in detail. Includes appendix and references. ... Read more

Product Description
Students with some previous exposure to Fourier optics or linear theory will find the material particularly absorbing and easy to understand. Contains many new applications to optical and physical phenomena. Softcover. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Good probability and statistics book
I purchased this book as a reference and tool book "AFTER" I took the class 2 years ago.
Generally it's a book for probability and statistics and it's the textbook in U Arizona Optics ... Read more

Product Description

The SPSS 13.0 Guide to Data Analysis is a friendly introduction to both data analysis and SPSS.  Easy-to-understand explanations and in-depth content make this guide both an excellent supplement to other statistics texts and a superb primary text for any introductory data analysis course. With the book, you get a jump-start on describing data, testing hypotheses, and examining relationships using SPSS.  The goal of this book is to provide an unintimidating introduction to data analysis and to SPSS. This edition focuses on topics that interest today's students-in particular, the role of the Internet in society. It is designed for use with SPSS 13.0, including the Student Version.  A data CD is included with this book.

Customer Reviews (5)

SPSS Guidebook-Early Version
This older version of the textbook is very useful.The CD came with it and I did not have to pay for the SPSS 17, or 18. This made my college project easy to prepare.

Perfect - if it's what you need
I found this book to be a perfect mix of how to do statistics/research methods and how to use SPSS.

I've been out of grad school for a few years and am finally finishing my thesis. A few weeks ago my adviser suggested I "do some ANOVA" and followed up with about 3 minutes on what ANOVA means on a higher level. I understood what he was saying, and even remembered learning the concepts in my stats classes years ago. Now to apply it to my data set!

Armed only with SPSS and the internet I was quickly overwhelmed by all the available information out there. There are all kinds of statistical explanations and derivations online but my eyes always quickly gloss over - I loved calculus in college, stats, not so much. I'm SO glad I remembered I have this book! (I have it for SPSS 13.0, but for what I needed everything was the same.)

I have a computer to do the calculations for me, so fewer equations is actually better and this book delivers. My main concern was unsure if I was checking the right boxes, putting variables in the right spots, or even selecting the right tests. You get output regardless, so my lack of understanding would certainly show in my report. Garbage in = garbage out, right?

If you need to know what SPSS tests and features will give you the correct output for a statistical concept that you already have some understanding of, THIS IS THE BOOK FOR YOU. For my ANOVA work, I was able to flip to chapter 15 (and then 16), understand what was being done with the simple real-world examples, and apply it to my data successfully. I was then able understand which output was useful and which was (for my purposes) just noise.

Some incredible features:
It's very well organized - good index in the back!
It's written in reasonably plain English.
It comes with sample data so you can "follow along" with the examples in the book.

Great guide to learning SPSS

I am presently taking a graduate level Statistics course in the Sociology Department at the University of Chicago.In my class, I am learning how to use SPSS along with the statistics.I found this book to be a good supplement to my statistics textbook and it really helped me to interpret the SPSS output.The book also comes with a data CD.The data is used for examples and exercises in each chapter.Working through the examples and exercises really helps in learning SPSS.My only complaint is that only the even answers to the exercises are provided at the end of the book.I would have liked to have all the answers.

In reference to the prior reviews, I agree this is not the appropriate book if you want to learn statistics.This book explains the broad concepts necessary to understand how to use SPSS.You still need a textbook to understand the math.

Bittersweet
This guide is a useful tool in navigating the miriad of menus and checkboxes of SPSS. It has clear examples and illustrations, but the sections on interpretation of test results are not very detailed and often confusing. Overall I would recommend it.

Great guide to SPSS, but not the greatest as a statistics textbook...
This book is a great introduction to SPSS, especially for someone as 'computer illiterate' as myself!However, I find that using this book for guidance in actually calculating statistics is somewhat confusing.Whereas most statistics textbooks have the important formulas summarized at the end of the book or each chapter, this one doesn't have them written anywhere at all!The reader has to infer the formulas from the text, and as the discussion of each particular concept often spans two or three pages, it is needless to say that this isn't the fastest way of calculating statistics.However, the writing is clear and understandable, and the concepts are at least explained thoroughly; therefore, for someone who just wants to use SPSS, and has no use for hand-calculations, this book would probably be perfect. ... Read more