Gunnar Blom – författare

Sannolikhetsteori och statistikteori har vidsträckta tillämpningar inom olika forskningsområden och olika delar av samhällslivet. Bland annat naturvetare och tekniker har god nytta av kunskaper om dessa teorier och deras användning.Denna bok, som är en omarbetning av en tidigare bok av Gunnar Blom, behandlar de grundläggande delarna av sannolikhetsteorinoch statistikteorin. De många lösta exemplen i texten underlättar läsningen. Övningsproblem med svar avslutar flertalet kapitel.Boken är avsedd för kurser av olika slag men är också lämplig för självstudier.Från och med sjunde upplagan ges denna bok åter ut som hårdband. Denna upplaga innehåller dock inga förändringar av innehållet jämfört med femte och sjätte upplagan.

We, the authors of this book, are three ardent devotees of chance, or some­ what more precisely, of discrete probability. When we were collecting the material, we felt that one special pleasure of the field lay in its evocation of an earlier age: many of our 'probabilistic forefathers' were dexterous solvers of discrete problems. We hope that this pleasure will be transmitted to the readers. The first problem-book of a similar kind as ours is perhaps Mosteller's well-known Fifty Challenging Problems in Probability (1965). Possibly, our book is the second. The book contains 125 problems and snapshots from the world of prob­ ability. A 'problem' generally leads to a question with a definite answer. A 'snapshot' is either a picture or a bird's-eye view of some probabilistic field. The selection is, of course, highly subjective, and we have not even tried to cover all parts of the subject systematically. Limit theorems appear only seldom, for otherwise the book would have become unduly large. We want to state emphatically that we have not written a textbook in probability, but rather a book for browsing through when occupying an easy-chair. Therefore, ideas and results are often put forth without a machinery of formulas and derivations; the conscientious readers, who want to penetrate the whole clockwork, will soon have to move to their desks and utilize appropriate tools.

This is a somewhat extended and modified translation of the third edition of the text, first published in 1969. The Swedish edition has been used for many years at the Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm, and at the School of Engineering at Link6ping University. It is also used in elementary courses for students of mathematics and science. The book is not intended for students interested only in theory, nor is it suited for those seeking only statistical recipes. Indeed, it is designed to be intermediate between these extremes. I have given much thought to the question of dividing the space, in an appropriate way, between mathematical arguments and practical applications. Mathematical niceties have been left aside entirely, and many results are obtained by analogy. The students I have in mind should have three ingredients in their course: elementary probability theory with applications, statistical theory with applications, and something about the planning of practical investiga­ tions. When pouring these three ingredients into the soup, I have tried to draw upon my experience as a university teacher and on my earlier years as an industrial statistician. The programme may sound bold, and the reader should not expect too much from this book. Today, probability, statistics and the planning of investigations cover vast areas and, in 356 pages, only the most basic problems can be discussed. If the reader gains a good understanding of probabilistic and statistical reasoning, the main purpose of the book has been fulfilled.

We, the authors of this book, are three ardent devotees of chance, or some­ what more precisely, of discrete probability. When we were collecting the material, we felt that one special pleasure of the field lay in its evocation of an earlier age: many of our ''probabilistic forefathers'' were dexterous solvers of discrete problems. We hope that this pleasure will be transmitted to the readers. The first problem-book of a similar kind as ours is perhaps Mosteller''s well-known Fifty Challenging Problems in Probability (1965). Possibly, our book is the second. The book contains 125 problems and snapshots from the world of prob­ ability. A ''problem'' generally leads to a question with a definite answer. A ''snapshot'' is either a picture or a bird''s-eye view of some probabilistic field. The selection is, of course, highly subjective, and we have not even tried to cover all parts of the subject systematically. Limit theorems appear only seldom, for otherwise the book would have become unduly large. We want to state emphatically that we have not written a textbook in probability, but rather a book for browsing through when occupying an easy-chair. Therefore, ideas and results are often put forth without a machinery of formulas and derivations; the conscientious readers, who want to penetrate the whole clockwork, will soon have to move to their desks and utilize appropriate tools.