Probability - An Introduction

By Ramachandran Ananthakrishnan

This book introduces 'Probability' in a unique way. It is perhaps the only book on Mathematics / Statistics written in a fiction format. When you read the book, you will feel that you are in a class room listening to a lecture on probability live.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Vijaya Online Academy
• Release date: May 4, 2016
• ISBN: 9781533718631

Book preview

My sincere thanks to Dr B.L Khandelwal, Professor Emeritus, I.I.T Delhi (Retd) for his constant encouragement for sharing my thoughts in the form of a book.

My thanks also go to my wife Mrs. Vijayalakshmi who was always on hand to help me with physical help like organizing the sheets of paper, helping me with a massage of the neck area and other small helps then and there as and when needed.

My thanks are also due to my daughter R. Mira Saraswathi who helped me with the editing and proof reading.

Finally my thanks are also due to my students whom I had taught Mathematical Statistics for over 40 years and the class-room experience that contributed in a major way in bringing up the book as presented here.

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The Learning Outcome

When a reader has completed reading this book, will be conversant with

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The term ‘Probability’

Understand and explain the need for probability

Will be able to solve simple problems on probability

Be ready to understand probability distributions.

The first day in College

Today is the first day in college after the long summer vacation. New students have been admitted to different courses and a few students are walking in. Some of them are freshers and some others are students of the second and third year of different courses being offered for study in the college.

Three students, two boys and a girl are walking in a group and from the look and the body language, it is obvious that they are freshers, trying to find their way.

Two others, both boys, are walking a few steps behind them and they are able to listen in to the conversation of the group walking ahead of them.

The two boys in the first group have their names as Krishnan and Peter while the girl's name is Mary.

Peter and Mary studied in the same school and Krishnan lives in the same neighbourhood as Mary.

They have joined the first year B.Sc. (Bachelor of Science) degree course in Mathematics.

The two students walking behind them are James and Ravi. James is a student of the third year B.Sc. (Maths) while Ravi is a student of the II year B.Sc. (Maths)

Now, I invite you, the reader, to join James and Ravi and listen in to the conversation as the three first year students are busy talking among themselves as they walk towards the main building of the college. .

The conversation