Mathematical Probability : Syllabus
Math 191 - MWF 10 am - 111 Science CenterHarvard University - Fall 1997
Instructor
Course Assistant
Text. Feller, An Introduction to
Probability Theory and Its Applications ,
Volumes 1 & 2, Wiley.
(Volume 1 is 3rd edition, 2 is 2nd edition).
Major Topics.
The course will cover selections from
Feller, Chapters I-VII of Volume 1, including
- Combinatorics, binomial coefficients
- Random walks
- Conditional probability and independence
- Binomial, Poisson and normal distributions
- The central limit theorem
Prerequisites.
Math 22a,b or 25a,b or 101.
Students with only 21a,b as background can enroll, but
should also consider Statistics 110 (offered this fall).
For such students concurrent enrollment
in Math 101 or 112 is strongly encouraged.
Homework. Weekly assignments will be
given on Wednesday and due in class the following
Wednesday. Late homework will not be accepted,
but the two lowest homework grades will be dropped.
Collaboration between students is encouraged,
but you must write your own solutions, understand
them and give credit to your collaborators.
Midterm. There will be one in-class
midterm: Wednesday, 15 October 97.
Final. Subject to approval by the Registrar,
there will be a take-home final due at the end
of reading period.
Grades. The course grade will based on
homework and quizzes (30%),
the midterm (20%) and the final (50%).