EL 6303: Probability Theory    Spring 2008

Wednesday 6:00 ~ 8:40 PM   

Instructor: Prof. S. Unnikrishna Pillai
             pillai@hora.poly.edu
           
(Tel)  (718) 260-3732   

   (Fax) (718) 260-3906
   LC 253
 

            >>Personal Web page

Homework .

>> Homeworks, Exams Web page 

 

Grading: Homework: 5%   Quiz #: 10%   Midterm: 35%     Final: 50%

 

Textbook

 

1.      Papoulis and Pillai, Probability, Random Variables and Stochastic Processes”, 4th Edition, McGraw-Hill Book Company, 2002.

2.      V. K Rohatgi, “An Introduction to Probability Theory and Mathematical Statistics”, John Wiley & Sons, 1976

3.      V. K Rohatgi, “Statistical Inference”, John Wiley & Sons, 1984”

 

Office hours

 

Wednesday 2 – 4 PM

Remark

Both books are highly recommended. Try to do all home works, which will turn out to be very useful.

Use Lecture notes at Lecture Slides

 

Syllabus

1    (1/23)               The axiomatic definition of experiment and probability. Conditional Probability.

        

                  Bayes’ Theorem, Notion of independence.

           2    (1/30)                Repeated trials. Bernoulli trials and their limiting forms. The concept of a random variable.

           3     (2/6)                 Probability distribution and density functions. Probability mass function.

                  Examples of random variables: Normal (Gaussian), Poisson, Gamma, Exponential, Laplace,

                 Cauchy, Rayleigh, etc. Bayes’ Theorem revisited.

           4     (2/13)              Functions of one random variable and their distributions.

           5    (2/20)              Expected value of a random variable: Mean, Variance, Moments, and  Characteristic function.

           6    (2/27)              Two random variables: Joint distribution and joint density functions, Independence

           7-8   (3/5, 3/12)    One function of two random variables.

           9    (3/26)              Midterm Examination. (Wednesday, March 26, 2008, 6-9PM)    

         10-11  (3/28, 4/2)    Two functions of two random variables. Order statistics.

         12     (4/9)                Joint moments, Uncorrelatedness, Orthogonality, Joint characteristic function.

                                         More on Gaussian random variables.

          13    (4/16)              Conditional distribution and conditional expected values.

         14    (4/30)              The principle of maximum likelihood(ML). Elements of parameter estimation.

                                        The central limit theorem.

          15     5/2                 Extra Review Class (6-9PM)

         16     (5/7)               Final Examination. (Wednesday , May 7, 2008, 6-9PM)