"Probability is one of the most interesting subjects in electrical engineering and computer science. It bridges our favorite engineering principles to the practical reality, a world that is full of uncertainty. However, because probability is such a mature subject, the undergraduate textbooks alone might fill several rows of shelves in a library. When the literature is so rich, the challenge becomes how one can pierce through to the insight while diving into the details. For example, many of you have used a normal random variable before, but have you ever wondered where the 'bell shape' comes from? Every probability class will teach you about flipping a coin, but how can 'flipping a coin' ever be useful in machine learning today? Data scientists use the Poisson random variables to model the internet traffic, but where does the gorgeous Poisson equation come from? This book is designed to fill these gaps with knowledge that is essential to all data science students." -- Preface.

This is the first three chapters of a textbook for data scientists who want to improve how they work with, analyze, and extract information from data. The focus of the textbook is how to appropriately apply statistical methods, both simple and sophisticated, to 21st century data and problems. This book contains the first three chapters: Introduction -- Data Science and Statistics, Descriptive Statistics, and Data Visualization -- as well as the book front matter. Subsequent chapters will be published in 3- to 5-chapter sets as they become available.The textbook is intended for current and future data scientists, and for anyone interested in deriving information from data. It requires some mathematical sophistication on the part of the reader, as well as comfort using computers and statistical software.Data science is a new field that has arisen to exploit the proliferation of data in the modern world. Mathematical statistics dates back to the mid-18th century, where the field began as the systematic collection of population and economic data by nations. The modern practice of statistics – which includes the collection, summarization, and analysis of data – dates to the early 20th century. Today statistical methods are widely used by governments, businesses and other organizations, as well as by all scientific disciplines.It has been said that a data scientist must have a better grasp of statistics than the average computer scientist and a better grasp of programming than the average statistician. This book will give data scientists a firm foundation in statistics.

An integrated package of powerful probabilistic tools and key applications in modern mathematical data science.

Probability and Statistics for Data Science: Math + R + Data covers "math stat"—distributions, expected value, estimation etc.—but takes the phrase "Data Science" in the title quite seriously: * Real datasets are used extensively. * All data analysis is supported by R coding. * Includes many Data Science applications, such as PCA, mixture distributions, random graph models, Hidden Markov models, linear and logistic regression, and neural networks. * Leads the student to think critically about the "how" and "why" of statistics, and to "see the big picture." * Not "theorem/proof"-oriented, but concepts and models are stated in a mathematically precise manner. Prerequisites are calculus, some matrix algebra, and some experience in programming. Norman Matloff is a professor of computer science at the University of California, Davis, and was formerly a statistics professor there. He is on the editorial boards of the Journal of Statistical Software and The R Journal. His book Statistical Regression and Classification: From Linear Models to Machine Learning was the recipient of the Ziegel Award for the best book reviewed in Technometrics in 2017. He is a recipient of his university's Distinguished Teaching Award.

This book provides an undergraduate introduction to analysing data for data science, computer science, and quantitative social science students. It uniquely combines a hands-on approach to data analysis – supported by numerous real data examples and reusable [R] code – with a rigorous treatment of probability and statistical principles. Where contemporary undergraduate textbooks in probability theory or statistics often miss applications and an introductory treatment of modern methods (bootstrapping, Bayes, etc.), and where applied data analysis books often miss a rigorous theoretical treatment, this book provides an accessible but thorough introduction into data analysis, using statistical methods combining the two viewpoints. The book further focuses on methods for dealing with large data-sets and streaming-data and hence provides a single-course introduction of statistical methods for data science.

Probability for Data Scientists provides students with a mathematically sound yet accessible introduction to the theory and applications of probability. Students learn how probability theory supports statistics, data science, and machine learning theory by enabling scientists to move beyond mere descriptions of data to inferences about specific populations. The book is divided into two parts. Part I introduces readers to fundamental definitions, theorems, and methods within the context of discrete sample spaces. It addresses the origin of the mathematical study of probability, main concepts in modern probability theory, univariate and bivariate discrete probability models, and the multinomial distribution. Part II builds upon the knowledge imparted in Part I to present students with corresponding ideas in the context of continuous sample spaces. It examines models for single and multiple continuous random variables and the application of probability theorems in statistics. Probability for Data Scientists effectively introduces students to key concepts in probability and demonstrates how a small set of methodologies can be applied to a plethora of contextually unrelated problems. It is well suited for courses in statistics, data science, machine learning theory, or any course with an emphasis in probability. Numerous exercises, some of which provide R software code to conduct experiments that illustrate the laws of probability, are provided in each chapter.

This classroom-tested textbook is an introduction to probability theory, with the right balance between mathematical precision, probabilistic intuition, and concrete applications. Introduction to Probability covers the material precisely, while avoiding excessive technical details. After introducing the basic vocabulary of randomness, including events, probabilities, and random variables, the text offers the reader a first glimpse of the major theorems of the subject: the law of large numbers and the central limit theorem. The important probability distributions are introduced organically as they arise from applications. The discrete and continuous sides of probability are treated together to emphasize their similarities. Intended for students with a calculus background, the text teaches not only the nuts and bolts of probability theory and how to solve specific problems, but also why the methods of solution work.