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| Probability and Statistics, 3rd Edition | 
| Authors: Morris H. Degroot, Mark J. Schervish
Publisher: Addison Wesley
Category: Book
List Price: $73.33
Buy New: $55.69
You Save: $17.64 (24%)
New (24) from $55.69
Avg. Customer Rating:  22 reviews
Sales Rank: 23514
Media: Hardcover
Edition: 3rd
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 816
Shipping Weight (lbs): 3.2
Dimensions (in): 9.4 x 7.6 x 1.8
ISBN: 0201524880
Dewey Decimal Number: 519.2
EAN: 9780201524888
ASIN: 0201524880
Publication Date: October 20, 2001
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Condition: Inventory subject to prior sale. Expedited orders cannot be sent to PO Box. Sorry, not able to ship to APO, FPO, Alaska, and Hawaii.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 17 more reviews...
 The truth about this book. 99% of other great reviews are bogus. June 24, 2008
This book was not written for students. It was written so that the author can gain respect from his from his academic peers. The explanations are absolutely horrible. It purposely explains simple concepts in overly verbose, complicated ways. The idea is to make the subject appear as complicated as possible when it doesn't need to be. It reads like those academic papers that are purposely written in overly complicated language so that nobody understands what the author is talking about except the author himself. The idea is to impress his academic circle by showing that he did a "complicated" analysis.
When are these people going to learn that "simplicity is the ultimate sophistication" - Da Vinci?
Here's an example. Do you know what's a percentile? Think about your SAT or GRE score report. 80th percentile means 80% of the people scored lower than you. 90th percentile means 90% of the people scored lower than you. Simple, right? This book introduces the concept like this:
"The d.f. of a random variable X gives us the probability that X<=x for all real numbers x. It is often the case that we choose a probability, like 1/2, and we want to know where in the distribution of X we can find that probability. For example, suppose that X is the amount of rain that will fall tomorrow and we want to place an even-money bet on X as follows. If X<=x0, we win one dollar and if X>x0 we lose one dollar. In order to make this bet fair, we need Pr(X<=xo)=Pr(X>x0)=1/2. We could use all the real numbers x trying to find one such that F(x)=1/2, and then we could let x0 equal the value we found. If F is a one-to-one function, then F has an inverse F^-1 and x0=F^-1(1/2)." - P.114
Lol! If you want to learn like this, go ahead and buy this book. I'll give this book two stars because there are probably a few souls out there who actually do prefer to learn like this.
 Best intro reference for graduate students April 8, 2008
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
This is by far the best graduate text for basic probability and statistics that is currently made. It even nicely incorporates Bayesian material in a completely relevant way. No, it is probably too complex and abstract for complete beginners in probability as many of the reviewers here have suggested. For anyone with even just a basic background in statistics or probability, however, it is perfect. It is straightforward, comprehensive and most importantly highly readable. There is no comparison to other probability/statistics texts I own--if you are pursuing any sort of graduate level study in statistics or basic probability this the textbook to own and reference.
Good September 27, 2007
Its a really good book for starters, especially with a weak background in math.. it may be little too exhaustive but overall I think its a good deal!!!
 Good in theory, short on examples February 19, 2007
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
First all, everyone wishing to learn probability comes from different background, math level, and motivation. There is no book that suits all. Recently I needed to know something about moment generating functions. With all my advanced engineering background though, I find it difficult to get into probability.
So I bought the following supposedly introductory texts: Ross, DeGroot, Stirzaker, Bersekas & Tsitsiklis. To me, Ross seems like a review lesson to cram for finals; it's choke full of examples but fairly spare in exposition. DeGroot is the opposite, long on descriptions but short on examples; by the time it finishes describing the problem, you have forgotten how to solve it. Probability is set up more as a prelude to statistics in the second half of the book. Stirzaker calls his book "elementary" the way Sherlock Holmes dismissed a case after slogging all night through the English bogs. It is more for the well-drilled boys from elite British "public" (private actually) schools. Bersekas comes closest to what I look for in a text, straightforward in prose with a judicious selection of examples to explain theory.
For beginners, the best approach I found, in the end, was to go the local community college and buy the text used for Finite Math. Usually, there are 3 to 4 chapters that introduce probability.
Such a text is aimed an audience from wider academic and language backgrounds, as community colleges are mandated to do. Therefore, probability is taught in simple, plain-spoken language crafted through multiple editions. One such is Finite Math, by Karl J. Smith; however, many others like it will do. For self-study, one might start in the chapter on probability to understand the author's approach, then go back a chapter or two to pick up the permutation and combinatorial math needed to calculate probability. Another alternative is just to enroll in a Finite Math course at a community college. Generally, such a course stops at Markov's chain which is enough to get you jump started in probability.
In any case, a good Finite Math text gives plenty of examples with clear, succinct, and layman-like explanation to help you tackle Ross' book or supplement any other at a higher level. If you plan to apply probability to your work, then shop around for another text after you get the basics. The thicker tomes delve more into theory which is good because real life problems are seldom like the examples given. However you can't go wrong by planting your feet solidly on a good Finite Math text first
A Lucid Introduction to the Underlying Math January 10, 2007
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
DeGroot's text is an introduction to the mathematical side of probability and statistics. Of the books on that subject, it is by far the most lucid I have seen. Its intended audience will likely find it useful for self study or for supplemental study in comparable courses that use other textbooks.
This book is not an applied, take-you-by-the-hand tutorial on applied statistical techniques, nor is it a failed take-you-by-the-hand tutorial on applied statistical techniques. It is not a text for the social scientist who wishes to learn statistics at home.
DeGroot's text is what it is, and I recommend it enthusiastically in its intended contexts.
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