Abstract
Probability is the branch of mathematics that deals with events whose individual outcomes are unpredictable, but whose outcomes on average are predictable. In this chapter we shall describe the rules of probability. We shall apply these rules to specific situations. As you will see, the notions and methods of calculus play an extremely important part in these applications. In particular, the logarithmic and exponential functions are ubiquitous. For these reasons, this chapter has been included in this book.
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Notes
- 1.
G.I. Taylor (1886–1975), a famous British applied mathematician, described the following experience during the First World War: Taylor was working on a project to develop aerial darts; his task was to record the patterns created when a large number of darts were dropped from an airplane. This he did by putting a piece of paper under each dart where it had fallen in the field. These papers were to be photographed from the air. He had just finished this tedious task when a cavalry officer came by on horseback and demanded to know what Taylor was doing. Taylor explained the dart project, whereupon the officer exclaimed, “And you chaps managed to hit all those bits of paper? Good show!”
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Lax, P.D., Terrell, M.S. (2014). Probability. In: Calculus With Applications. Undergraduate Texts in Mathematics. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-7946-8_11
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-7946-8_11
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