The essential lifesaver for students who want to master probability For students learning probability, its numerous applications, techniques, and methods can seem intimidating and overwhelming. That's where The Probability Lifesaver steps in. Designed to serve as a complete stand-alone introduction to the subject or as a supplement for a course, this accessible and user-friendly study guide helps students comfortably navigate probability's terrain and achieve positive results. The Probability Lifesaver is based on a successful course that Steven Miller has taught at Brown University, Mount Holyoke College, and Williams College. With a relaxed and informal style, Miller presents the math with thorough reviews of prerequisite materials, worked-out problems of varying difficulty, and proofs. He explores a topic first to build intuition, and only after that does he dive into technical details. Coverage of topics is comprehensive, and materials are repeated for reinforcement--both in the guide and on the book's website. An appendix goes over proof techniques, and video lectures of the course are available online. Students using this book should have some familiarity with algebra and precalculus. The Probability Lifesaver not only enables students to survive probability but also to achieve mastery of the subject for use in future courses. * A helpful introduction to probability or a perfect supplement for a course* Numerous worked-out examples* Lectures based on the chapters are available free online* Intuition of problems emphasized first, then technical proofs given* Appendixes review proof techniques* Relaxed, conversational approach

"I recommend the book to everyone who is studying and fascinated by statistics."---Singalakha Menziwa, Mathemafrica
"Steven J. Miller’s The Probability Lifesaver presents, as its subtitle claims, 'all the tools you need to understand chance' in a clear, straightforward manner. . . . For the students that have a good understanding of Calculus, the combination of the probability discussions along with the calculus behind these topics is very beneficial." * MAA Reviews *
"The breadth of the book’s coverage and its clear, informal tone in addressing highly formal problems remind one of a friendly professor offering unlimited office hours, and the book will be a highly accessible supplement for students working through another, more conventional text. . . . [This is] a volume that deserves to be widely known in educational circles and will likely find its way to the shelves of practicing statisticians who wish to probe below the surface of fundamental theorems that they have learned by rote."---H. Van Dyke Parunak, Computing Reviews

Steven J. Miller is associate professor of mathematics at Williams College. He is the coauthor of An Invitation to Modern Number Theory (Princeton) and The Mathematics of Encryption: An Elementary Introduction and the editor of Benford's Law: Theory and Applications (Princeton).