Computational Probability Applications

This focuses on the developing field of building probability models with the power of symbolic algebra systems. The book combines the uses of symbolic algebra with probabilistic/stochastic application and highlights the applications in a variety of contexts. The research explored in each chapter is unified by the use of A Probability Programming Language (APPL) to achieve the modeling objectives. APPL, as a research tool, enables a probabilist or statistician the ability to explore new ideas, methods, and models. Furthermore, as an open-source language, it sets the foundation for future algorithms to augment the original code. Computational Probability Applications is comprised of fifteen chapters, each presenting a specific application of computational probability using the APPL modeling and computer language. The chapter topics include using inverse gamma as a survival distribution, linear approximations of probability density functions, and also moment-ratio diagrams for univariate distributions. These works highlight interesting examples, often done by undergraduate students and graduate students that can serve as templates for future work. In addition, this book should appeal to researchers and practitioners in a range of fields including probability, statistics, engineering, finance, neuroscience, and economics.

“This volume successfully merges the use of symbolic algebra with stochastic applications and displays its applications in a host of situations. … The book organized sequentially, well structured, and chapters are self-contained. … The book is a good source as a reference book in a multitude fields. … this is a good contribution, providing up-to-date coverage on selected topics in a logical and systematic manner. Variability and diversity in research is the spice of the life!” (S. Ejaz Ahmed, Technometrics, Vol. 59 (3), July, 2017)

Dr. Andrew Glen is a Professor Emeritus of Operations Research from the United States Military Academy, in West Point, NY. He is currently a visiting professor at The Colorado College in Colorado Springs, Colorado. He is a retired colonel from the US Army, and spend 16 years on faculty at West Point. He has published three books and dozens of scholarly articles, mostly on the subject of computational probability. His research and teaching interests are in computational probability and statistical modeling.  Lawrence Leemis is a professor in the Department of Mathematics at The College of William & Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia, U.S.A. He received his BS and MS degrees in mathematics and his PhD in operations research from Purdue University. He has also taught courses at Purdue University, The University of Oklahoma, and Baylor University. He has served as Associate Editor for the IEEE Transactions on Reliability, Book Review Editor for the Journal of Quality Technology, and an Associate Editor for Naval Research Logistics. He has published six books and over 100 research articles, proceedings papers, and book chapters. His research and teaching interests are in reliability, simulation, and computational probability.