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"Applied Probability" is a field of research in which we construct probability models, which are mathematical in nature, to represent phenomena that incorporate uncertainty. For instance, the number of customers waiting in a line for service is due to uncertainty (random) characteristics of the arrival process and service. A probability model can be used to represent this phenomenon.
Feller's book, which first appeared in 1950, has had a major influence on many researchers in applied probability because it introduced probability theory not as a mathematical theory, but as a set of probability concepts that can be used to understand random phenomena. The examples used for illustrating the procedures came from a variety of sources: human behavior, parapsychology, industrial statistics, manufacturing systems, sample surveys, genetics, biological processes, statistical mechanics, waiting lines, transportation, and telephone trunking, to name only a few. The examples also dealt with some well-known problems such as Banach's matchbox problem, Polya's urn scheme, coupon collector's problem, card games and inspection paradox. The problems and concepts introduced in this book have initiated many research paths, and to this day we can find new insights to old problems by referring to the material covered in this book.
U. Narayan Bhat
Dean, Research and Graduate Studies, Dedman College Professor
