40 Puzzles and Problems in Probability and Mathematical Statistics (Problem Books in Mathematics)

The present book is based on the view that cognitive skills are best acquired by solving challenging, non-standard probability problems. The author’s own experience, both in learning and in teaching, is that challenging problems often provide more, and longer lasting, inductive insights than plain-style deductions from general concepts. Problems help to develop, and to sharpen our intuition for important probabilistical concepts and tools such as conditionaing or first-step analyses. Many puzzles and problems presented here are either new within a problem solving context (although as topics in fundamental research they are of course long known) or are variations of classical problems which follow directly from elementary concepts. A small number of particularly instructive problems is taken from previous sources which in this case are generally given.