Book cover for A First Course in Probability

A First Course in Probability

Sheldon Ross

ISBN #9780136033134

8th Edition

502 Questions

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32,063 Students Helped

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Summary

Learning Objectives

Key Concepts

Example Problems

Explanations

Common Mistakes

Summary

This section on combinatorial analysis introduces fundamental counting methods including the basic principle of counting, permutations, and combinations. It expands these ideas to include situations with indistinguishable objects through multinomial coefficients and addresses counting integer solutions via the stars-and-bars method. Mastery of these concepts is vital for solving a wide range of probability and counting problems in mathematics and real-life applications.

Learning Objectives

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Key Concepts

CONCEPT

DEFINITION

Definition: Explores advanced probability models by extending fundamental theories to more complex systems. Topics include random processes (e.g., the Poisson process), Markov chains (with transition matrices, Chapman–Kolmogorov equations, and stationary distributions), and key ideas in information theory such as surprise, entropy, and coding (both noiseless and noisy).

Explores advanced probability models by extending fundamental theories to more complex systems. Topics include random processes (e.g., the Poisson process), Markov chains (with transition matrices, Chapman–Kolmogorov equations, and stationary distributions), and key ideas in information theory such as surprise, entropy, and coding (both noiseless and noisy). •

Example Problems

Example 1

(a) How many different 7 -place license plates are possible if the first 2 places are for letters and the other 5 for numbers? (b) Repeat part (a) under the assumption that no letter or number can be repeated in a single license plate.

Example 2

How many outcome sequences are possible when a die is rolled four times, where we say, for instance, that the outcome is 3,4,3,1 if the first roll landed on $3,$ the sccond on $4,$ the third on $3,$ and the fourth on $1 ?$

Example 3

Twenty workers are to be assigned to 20 different jobs, one to each job. How many different assignments are possible?

Example 4

John, Jim, Jay, and Jack have formed a band consisting of 4 instruments. If each of the boys can play all 4 instruments, how many different arrangements are possible? What if John and Jim can play all 4 instruments, but Jay and Jack can each play only piano and drums?

Example 5

For years, telephone area codes in the United States and Canada consisted of a sequence of three digits. The first digit was an integer between 2 and $9,$ the second digit was either 0 or $1,$ and the third digit was any integer from 1 to $9 .$ How many area codes were possible? How many area codes starting with a 4 were possible?

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Step-by-Step Explanations

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Common Mistakes

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