Probability Models in Engineering and Science (MECHANICAL ENGINEERING

by Haym Benaroya, Seon Mi Han, Mark Nagurka

Certainty exists only in idealized models. Viewed as the quantification of uncertainties, probabilitry and random processes play a significant role in modern engineering, particularly in areas such as structural dynamics. Unlike this book, however, few texts develop applied probability in the practical manner appropriate for engineers.

Probability Models in Engineering and Science provides a comprehensive, self-contained introduction to applied probabilistic modeling. The first four chapters present basic concepts in probability and random variables, and while doing so, develop methods for static problems. The remaining chapters address dynamic problems, where time is a critical parameter in the randomness. Highlights of the presentation include numerous examples and illustrations and an engaging, human connection to the subject, achieved through short biographies of some of the key people in the field. End-of-chapter problems help solidify understanding and footnotes to the literature expand the discussions and introduce relevant journals and texts.

This book builds the background today's engineers need to deal explicitly with the scatter observed in experimental data and with intricate dynamic behavior. Designed for undergraduate and graduate coursework as well as self-study, the text's coverage of theory, approximation methods, and numerical methods make it equally valuable to practitioners.

760 pages, Hardcover

First published June 24, 2005

About the author

I am a faculty member in the department of mechanical and aerospace engineering at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, NJ. I specialize in the analysis and design of structures for the aerospace, ocean, space and lunar environments. My recent book is a "history" of the space age written in the year 2169 - and recounts how we became a spacefaring civilization ."