Probability and Statistics with Reliability, Queuing, and Computer Science Applications, 2nd Edition

Preface to the First Edition

The aim of this book is to provide an introduction to probability, stochastic processes, and statistics for students of computer science, electrical/computer engineering, reliability engineering, and applied mathematics. The prerequisites are two semesters of calculus, a course on introduction to computer programming, and preferably, a course on computer organization.

I have found that the material in the book can be covered in a two-semester or three-quarter course. However, through a choice of topics, shorter courses can also be organized. I have taught the material in this book to seniors and first-year graduate students but with the text in printed form, it could be given to juniors as well.

With a specific audience in mind, I have attempted to provide examples and problems, with which the student can identify, as motivation for the probability concepts. The majority of applications are drawn from reliability analysis and performance analysis of computer systems and from probabilistic analysis of algorithms. Although there are many good texts on each of these application areas, I felt the need for a text that treats them in a balanced fashion.

Chapters 1–5 provide an introduction to probability theory. These five chapters provide the core for one semester course on introduction to applied probability. Chapters 6–9 deal with stochastic processes and their applications. These four chapters form the core of the second course with a title such as ...