Introduction to Probability with Mathematica

Rating:
Summary: A creative and refreshing approach...
Review: I considered this book for a course that I thought I was going to teach. The course never got offered but I did discover this neat book in the process. Being a Mathematica fan, I was very happy to see a probability book completely based on Mathematica. In fact, the book itself is a set of Mathematica notebooks, making it very easy for the readers to experiment with the introduced topics. The explanations are clear and are accompanied with neat examples showing real-world uses of probability.

There should be more books like this... Really.

........

Rating:
Summary: An excellent book
Review: I purchased this book in desperation while taking a probability class with another textbook, and it has been a lucky find, indeed. The mathematics are limited mostly to basic calculus but provide sufficient rigor to satisfy the interests of mathematically-minded readers. The concepts appeal intuitively to the non-statistician scientist or graduate student as well as the mathematician. This book is easy to read and understand. Mathematica enhances the text and aids the homework, but unlike the reviewer below, I believe this book is valuable even without Mathematica. After reading this book I was able to make sense of the assigned probability text and began to enjoy the course. Introduction to Probability with Mathematica was well worth the investment.

Rating:
Summary: I was a guinea pig
Review: I was one of the test users of this book at the college where Prof. Hastings teaches. With the use of Mathematica (which is assumed in this book), the book allows one to explore the ideas much more easily. By modifying built in commands, the user can get a better grasp on how specific distributions behave. The commands written for the book are also very helpful. I found the book easy to use and the problems ranged from basic to difficult, but most were intersting (particularly the chapter on simulation). For those with access to Mathematica, this book works seemlessly with the program, making Mathematica a simple to use tool to aid in the understanding of probability rather than get in the way.

Rating:
Summary: Sample Programs are Available
Review: One reviewer said that the sample programs were not available as promised on the publishers website. That may have been true when that review was written, however, I just checked and the sample programs are now there for download on the publisher's website. In fact, I just downloaded them and they are fully functioning Mathematica notebooks.

Rating:
Summary: I was a guinea pig
Review: The book seems to have good intentions.. but... most of the text uses Mathematica Code that is not available... the promised software on the publishers Website is apparently vaporware.. totally unavailable.. and of course the publishers are "not available"... Without software the book is an expensive waste of time...

Rating:
Summary: No software available
Review: The book seems to have good intentions.. but... most of the text uses Mathematica Code that is not available... the promised software on the publishers Website is apparently vaporware.. totally unavailable.. and of course the publishers are "not available"... Without software the book is an expensive waste of time...