Customer Reviews (7)

the benchmark
If you could only ever buy one book on probability, this would be the one!

Feller's elegant and lateral approach to the essential elements of probability theory and their application to many diverse and apparently unrelated contexts is head-noddingly inspiring.

Working your way through all the exercises in the book would be an excellent retirment diversion sure to stave off the onset of dementia.

Felled by Feller?
I came across Vol 1 as a maths student in the 1970s.Indeed, the book was suggested to me by a quantum physicist recommended for the Nobel Prize in 1965 (John Ward, now deceased)- Feynman, Schwinger and Tomonaga shared the prize.

This is a difficult book and was not widely used even in the 70s as a textbook.I can recall the word "idiosyncratic" being used by someone to describe the book.The problem is that the book seeks to address deep issues and that requires hard work.It is not the sort of book a struggling student will find helpful.As one matures as a mathematician one can appreciate the incredible depth of the material.As a practical example - about 30 years after I first touched this book a Head of Quant approached me in relation to a paper by Marsaglia on distributions of ratios of normal variates. The verification of Marsgalia's derivation (which is non-trivial) is to be found as a series of 3 problems in Vol 1.

With the development of stochastic calculus in the finance world Feller can look a bit outdated but if you can understand the core material you are doing well.Stochastic calculus would be a push over.

Vols 1 and 2 present a treasure trove for those who want to delve into the area.I still use Feller's coin tossing example from Vol 1 to demonstrate to those in the finance world that their understanding of the "law of averages" is imperfect.

The funny thing is that Vol 2 (which I could never afford as a student) is so hard to get.I think that was because Vol 2 was regarded as even more obscure than Vol 1.I got a copy from Amazon second hand and it is now united with its twin in my study.

Peter Haggstrom
BONDI BEACH AUSTRALIA

An excellent book, but ..
I read some chapters during second year of college, and I found a bit difficult. Later, after college, I read Feller's books (Vol I,II) and I could appreciate Feller's books as excellent : a delicate mix of rigor and intuition that only the verfy gifted can write.

A Reference in Probability Theory
Although people often recommend K.L. Chung at our math department as an introduction to probability theory, i think that Feller is just another view of the problem. If you prefer a concise writing style then Chung is better. On the other hand, Feller's books are full of examples so that you cannot go through this book without having an accurate picture of the historical developments of probability theory and its many applications (even if sometimes applications are driving the need for theory...). This is anyway something you must have read if you want to get an intuitive understanding of probability theory.

Whatever your preferred writing style is, Feller is probably a "must-read" if you're involved on probability theory, just because of its importance in the literature, not because you like it. Maths are not just about formalism, they're also a matter of culture.

Classic intuition book
There are two ways people think about probability. The first is that probablity is a mere branch of measure theory. The second is that it is a discipline in its own right. Measure theory is only used as a mathematicaltool to prove results.

This book's philosophy falls into the secondcategory. William Feller has never thought of it, at least not that I know,as a branch of measure theory. People who have completed both of thevolumes may have known this.

I'm not saying which one is moreappropriate. But I know that this book is currently the best of all thebooks that are based on the second thought... When I need intuitive ideas,I often call for it. I believe you'll find it useful too, no matter who youare... ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

Buy part one first
This is the second volume of a classic text in probability.However the references to the first volume are ubiquitous.The first volume is more introductory and hence more readable for someone like me that is not expert in probability theory.I used volume one years ago and remember it as being much more appropriate at my level.It does amaze me that the topics are highly relevant today with the current interest in stable distributions in finance and hydrology.I give it 3 stars because of the many references to part one, so it does not stand alone.

the most thought provoking probability book ever written
This is the book we called Feller Volume II in graduate school. We used it to sharpen our intuition about probability. Feller was a master at explaining difficult things in simple ways. This includes the waiting time paradox and Benford's laws. For structure and rigor we looked elsewhere, Chung and/or Neveu. But Feller's books brought a joy and love for the subject. No statistician or probabilist should be without a copy on his shelf!
In spite of the fact that Feller produced one of the most general versions of the central limit theorem, there are no asymptotic theorems or proofs in this book.

A Great Classical Book
I used volume I in my class in probability at CALTECH in 1980/81. While never sacrificing rigor, Prof. Feller had the rare gift of explaining difficult things is such away, that they would become not only mathematically clear, but also intuitively obvious.

I consider this book one of the best math books available!

daunting, very duanting
This book is one of the tomes of probability theory.The material covered is not for the faint of heart though.The text explains things as do most graduate level math texts, in proofs and theory.

what is a title?
This is a GREAT book.
Unfortunately, I lost mine.
I wanted to buy volume 1, third edition, to replace the lost book but I got volume 2, second edition. Because volume 1 is SO GREAT book, I decided to keep volume 2 as well. How can be sure I ordered the needed one? ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Feller's probability
The condition of the book is fairly acceptable, a little bit below what I was expecting but still very reasonable.
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Product Description
For courses in Introduction to Manufacturing Processes in Engineering, Technology, Industrial Technology, and Manufacturing Technology programs.This practical text is devoted to the many ways in which raw materials are economically converted into useful products--grouping together discussions of large-scale processes (materials addition, removal, and change), followed by coverage of applications. It allows students to build a thorough foundational knowledge of similarities and differences in processes, and to then understand how to choose the optimal processes for a specific project. Throughout the narrative, consideration is given to economies of time and material, to environmental consequences, and to the safety of various processes and procedures...as well as to presenting the most current, industry-sanctioned processes being used today. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

negative
never received product.i tried to communicate with seller about it, but feel as though their policy is unfair and it's not my fault at all that I still haven't received product.

Great book
I loaned mine out to a student but never got it back, so I bought this one used.It was in great shape & at a great price.

Used Textbook
Purchased this for my husband for a class he is taking.Great seller and great price.Thank you! ... Read more

Product Description

Technician level Materials Science Text covering everything from metalsto glass, ceramics, woods, plastics and composites. Discusses testing,measurement, designs and intelligent materials decisions.

Customer Reviews (1)

This is a good introductory textbook for materials science.
Having taught from this book, I feel that it does an excellent jobpreparing students for the math involved in solving introductory problems. There is entirely too much chemistry in the section on polymers for anintroductory text.Metals are well covered and processing is thoroughlyintroduced.More should be said about composite materials such asfiberglass and SMC (sheet molding compound) since usage is increasing. Itwould also benefit from more discussion of applications for the variousmaterials covered to increase relevancy for the students.Otherwise anexcellent resource. ... Read more

Product Description
Chapters: Mladen Bestvina, William Feller, Vladimir Varićak, Danilo Blanuša, Marin Getaldić, Eduard Prugovečki, Jakša Cvitanić, Zvonimir Janko, Vladimir Vranić. Source: Wikipedia. Pages: 37. Not illustrated. Free updates online. Purchase includes a free trial membership in the publisher's book club where you can select from more than a million books without charge. Excerpt: Mladen Bestvina is a Croatian American mathematician working in the area of geometric group theory. He is a Distinguished Professor in the Department of Mathematics at the University of Utah. Mladen Bestvina is a three-time medalist at the International Mathematical Olympiad (two silver medals in 1976 and 1978 and a bronze medal in 1977). He received a B. Sc. in 1982 from the University of Zagreb. He obtained a PhD in Mathematics in 1984 at the University of Tennessee under the direction of John Walsh. Bestvina had been a faculty member at UCLA, and joined the faculty in the Department of Mathematics at the University of Utah in 1993. He was appointed a Distinguished Professor at the University of Utah in 2004. Bestvina received the Alfred P. Sloan Fellowship in 1988-89 and a Presidential Young Investigator Award in 1988-91. Bestvina gave an Invited Address at the International Congress of Mathematicians in Beijing in 2002. He also gave a Unni Namboodiri Lecture in Geometry and Topology at the University of Chicago. Bestvina served as an Editorial Board member for the Transactions of the American Mathematical Society. He is currently an associate editor of the Annals of Mathematics and an Editorial Board member for Geometric and Functional Analysis, the Journal of Topology and Analysis, Groups, Geometry and Dynamics, Michigan Mathematical Journal, Rocky Mountain Journal of Mathematics, and Glasnik Matematicki. A 1988 monograph of Bestvina gave an abstract topological characterization of universal Menger compacta in all dimensions; previously only the ca...More: http://booksllc.net/?id=26130054 ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

An Introduction to Probability Theory and Its Applications. Vol. 1, 2nd ed. by William Feller
It is a great classic. Old but still one of the best textbooks. Everyone interested in probability should have it on the bookshelf. ... Read more

Product Description
a treatment of probability theory developed in terms of mathematical concepts ... Read more