Probability and Random Processes

A resource for probability AND random processes, with hundreds of worked examples and probability and Fourier transform tables This survival guide in probability and random processes eliminates the need to pore through several resources to find a certain formula or table. It offers a compendium of most distribution functions used by communication engineers, queuing theory specialists, signal processing engineers, biomedical engineers, physicists, and students. Key topics covered include: * Random variables and most of their frequently used discrete and continuous probability distribution functions * Moments, transformations, and convergences of random variables * Characteristic, generating, and moment-generating functions * Computer generation of random variates * Estimation theory and the associated orthogonality principle * Linear vector spaces and matrix theory with vector and matrix differentiation concepts * Vector random variables * Random processes and stationarity concepts * Extensive classification of random processes * Random processes through linear systems and the associated Wiener and Kalman filters * Application of probability in single photon emission tomography (SPECT) More than 400 figures drawn to scale assist readers in understanding and applying theory. Many of these figures accompany the more than 300 examples given to help readers visualize how to solve the problem at hand. In many instances, worked examples are solved with more than one approach to illustrate how different probability methodologies can work for the same problem. Several probability tables with accuracy up to nine decimal places are provided in the appendices for quick reference. A special feature is the graphical presentation of the commonly occurring Fourier transforms, where both time and frequency functions are drawn to scale. This book is of particular value to undergraduate and graduate students in electrical, computer, and civil engineering, as well as students in physics and applied mathematics. Engineers, computer scientists, biostatisticians, and researchers in communications will also benefit from having a single resource to address most issues in probability and random processes.

Probability, Random Variables, and Random Processes is a comprehensive textbook on probability theory for engineers that provides a more rigorous mathematical framework than is usually encountered in undergraduate courses. It is intended for first-year graduate students who have some familiarity with probability and random variables, though not necessarily of random processes and systems that operate on random signals. It is also appropriate for advanced undergraduate students who have a strong mathematical background. The book has the following features: Several appendices include related material on integration, important inequalities and identities, frequency-domain transforms, and linear algebra. These topics have been included so that the book is relatively self-contained. One appendix contains an extensive summary of 33 random variables and their properties such as moments, characteristic functions, and entropy. Unlike most books on probability, numerous figures have been included to clarify and expand upon important points. Over 600 illustrations and MATLAB plots have been designed to reinforce the material and illustrate the various characterizations and properties of random quantities. Sufficient statistics are covered in detail, as is their connection to parameter estimation techniques. These include classical Bayesian estimation and several optimality criteria: mean-square error, mean-absolute error, maximum likelihood, method of moments, and least squares. The last four chapters provide an introduction to several topics usually studied in subsequent engineering courses: communication systems and information theory; optimal filtering (Wiener and Kalman); adaptive filtering (FIR and IIR); and antenna beamforming, channel equalization, and direction finding. This material is available electronically at the companion website. Probability, Random Variables, and Random Processes is the only textbook on probability for engineers that includes relevant background material, provides extensive summaries of key results, and extends various statistical techniques to a range of applications in signal processing.

A comprehensive and accessible presentation of probability and stochastic processes with emphasis on key theoretical concepts and real-world applications With a sophisticated approach, Probability and Stochastic Processes successfully balances theory and applications in a pedagogical and accessible format. The book’s primary focus is on key theoretical notions in probability to provide a foundation for understanding concepts and examples related to stochastic processes. Organized into two main sections, the book begins by developing probability theory with topical coverage on probability measure; random variables; integration theory; product spaces, conditional distribution, and conditional expectations; and limit theorems. The second part explores stochastic processes and related concepts including the Poisson process, renewal processes, Markov chains, semi-Markov processes, martingales, and Brownian motion. Featuring a logical combination of traditional and complex theories as well as practices, Probability and Stochastic Processes also includes: Multiple examples from disciplines such as business, mathematical finance, and engineering Chapter-by-chapter exercises and examples to allow readers to test their comprehension of the presented material A rigorous treatment of all probability and stochastic processes concepts An appropriate textbook for probability and stochastic processes courses at the upper-undergraduate and graduate level in mathematics, business, and electrical engineering, Probability and Stochastic Processes is also an ideal reference for researchers and practitioners in the fields of mathematics, engineering, and finance.

Praise for the First Edition «. . . an excellent textbook . . . well organized and neatly written.» —Mathematical Reviews «. . . amazingly interesting . . .» —Technometrics Thoroughly updated to showcase the interrelationships between probability, statistics, and stochastic processes, Probability, Statistics, and Stochastic Processes, Second Edition prepares readers to collect, analyze, and characterize data in their chosen fields. Beginning with three chapters that develop probability theory and introduce the axioms of probability, random variables, and joint distributions, the book goes on to present limit theorems and simulation. The authors combine a rigorous, calculus-based development of theory with an intuitive approach that appeals to readers' sense of reason and logic. Including more than 400 examples that help illustrate concepts and theory, the Second Edition features new material on statistical inference and a wealth of newly added topics, including: Consistency of point estimators Large sample theory Bootstrap simulation Multiple hypothesis testing Fisher's exact test and Kolmogorov-Smirnov test Martingales, renewal processes, and Brownian motion One-way analysis of variance and the general linear model Extensively class-tested to ensure an accessible presentation, Probability, Statistics, and Stochastic Processes, Second Edition is an excellent book for courses on probability and statistics at the upper-undergraduate level. The book is also an ideal resource for scientists and engineers in the fields of statistics, mathematics, industrial management, and engineering.

A mathematical and intuitive approach to probability, statistics, and stochastic processes This textbook provides a unique, balanced approach to probability, statistics, and stochastic processes. Readers gain a solid foundation in all three fields that serves as a stepping stone to more advanced investigations into each area. This text combines a rigorous, calculus-based development of theory with a more intuitive approach that appeals to readers' sense of reason and logic, an approach developed through the author's many years of classroom experience. The text begins with three chapters that develop probability theory and introduce the axioms of probability, random variables, and joint distributions. The next two chapters introduce limit theorems and simulation. Also included is a chapter on statistical inference with a section on Bayesian statistics, which is an important, though often neglected, topic for undergraduate-level texts. Markov chains in discrete and continuous time are also discussed within the book. More than 400 examples are interspersed throughout the text to help illustrate concepts and theory and to assist the reader in developing an intuitive sense of the subject. Readers will find many of the examples to be both entertaining and thought provoking. This is also true for the carefully selected problems that appear at the end of each chapter. This book is an excellent text for upper-level undergraduate courses. While many texts treat probability theory and statistical inference or probability theory and stochastic processes, this text enables students to become proficient in all three of these essential topics. For students in science and engineering who may take only one course in probability theory, mastering all three areas will better prepare them to collect, analyze, and characterize data in their chosen fields.

Presents an important and unique introduction to random walk theory Random walk is a stochastic process that has proven to be a useful model in understanding discrete-state discrete-time processes across a wide spectrum of scientific disciplines. Elements of Random Walk and Diffusion Processes provides an interdisciplinary approach by including numerous practical examples and exercises with real-world applications in operations research, economics, engineering, and physics. Featuring an introduction to powerful and general techniques that are used in the application of physical and dynamic processes, the book presents the connections between diffusion equations and random motion. Standard methods and applications of Brownian motion are addressed in addition to Levy motion, which has become popular in random searches in a variety of fields. The book also covers fractional calculus and introduces percolation theory and its relationship to diffusion processes. With a strong emphasis on the relationship between random walk theory and diffusion processes, Elements of Random Walk and Diffusion Processes features: Basic concepts in probability, an overview of stochastic and fractional processes, and elements of graph theory Numerous practical applications of random walk across various disciplines, including how to model stock prices and gambling, describe the statistical properties of genetic drift, and simplify the random movement of molecules in liquids and gases Examples of the real-world applicability of random walk such as node movement and node failure in wireless networking, the size of the Web in computer science, and polymers in physics Plentiful examples and exercises throughout that illustrate the solution of many practical problems Elements of Random Walk and Diffusion Processes is an ideal reference for researchers and professionals involved in operations research, economics, engineering, mathematics, and physics. The book is also an excellent textbook for upper-undergraduate and graduate level courses in probability and stochastic processes, stochastic models, random motion and Brownian theory, random walk theory, and diffusion process techniques.

A timely and comprehensive treatment of random field theory with applications across diverse areas of study Level Sets and Extrema of Random Processes and Fields discusses how to understand the properties of the level sets of paths as well as how to compute the probability distribution of its extremal values, which are two general classes of problems that arise in the study of random processes and fields and in related applications. This book provides a unified and accessible approach to these two topics and their relationship to classical theory and Gaussian processes and fields, and the most modern research findings are also discussed. The authors begin with an introduction to the basic concepts of stochastic processes, including a modern review of Gaussian fields and their classical inequalities. Subsequent chapters are devoted to Rice formulas, regularity properties, and recent results on the tails of the distribution of the maximum. Finally, applications of random fields to various areas of mathematics are provided, specifically to systems of random equations and condition numbers of random matrices. Throughout the book, applications are illustrated from various areas of study such as statistics, genomics, and oceanography while other results are relevant to econometrics, engineering, and mathematical physics. The presented material is reinforced by end-of-chapter exercises that range in varying degrees of difficulty. Most fundamental topics are addressed in the book, and an extensive, up-to-date bibliography directs readers to existing literature for further study. Level Sets and Extrema of Random Processes and Fields is an excellent book for courses on probability theory, spatial statistics, Gaussian fields, and probabilistic methods in real computation at the upper-undergraduate and graduate levels. It is also a valuable reference for professionals in mathematics and applied fields such as statistics, engineering, econometrics, mathematical physics, and biology.

A fresh introduction to random processes utilizing signal theory By incorporating a signal theory basis, A Signal Theoretic Introduction to Random Processes presents a unique introduction to random processes with an emphasis on the important random phenomena encountered in the electronic and communications engineering field. The strong mathematical and signal theory basis provides clarity and precision in the statement of results. The book also features: A coherent account of the mathematical fundamentals and signal theory that underpin the presented material Unique, in-depth coverage of material not typically found in introductory books Emphasis on modeling and notation that facilitates development of random process theory Coverage of the prototypical random phenomena encountered in electrical engineering Detailed proofs of results A related website with solutions to the problems found at the end of each chapter A Signal Theoretic Introduction to Random Processes is a useful textbook for upper-undergraduate and graduate-level courses in applied mathematics as well as electrical and communications engineering departments. The book is also an excellent reference for research engineers and scientists who need to characterize random phenomena in their research.

Branching processes are stochastic processes which represent the reproduction of particles, such as individuals within a population, and thereby model demographic stochasticity. In branching processes in random environment (BPREs), additional environmental stochasticity is incorporated, meaning that the conditions of reproduction may vary in a random fashion from one generation to the next. This book offers an introduction to the basics of BPREs and then presents the cases of critical and subcritical processes in detail, the latter dividing into weakly, intermediate, and strongly subcritical regimes.