This study discusses the history of the central limit theorem and related probabilistic limit theorems from about 1810 through 1950. In this context the book also describes the historical development of analytical probability theory and its tools, such as characteristic functions or moments. The central limit theorem was originally deduced by Laplace as a statement about approximations for the distributions of sums of independent random variables within the framework of classical probability, which focused upon specific problems and applications. Making this theorem an autonomous mathematical object was very important for the development of modern probability theory.
A collection of research level surveys on certain topics in probability theory by a well-known group of researchers. The book will be of interest to graduate students and researchers.
My first encounter with renewal theory and its extensions was in 1967/68 when I took a course in probability theory and stochastic processes, where the then recent book Stochastic Processes by Professor N.D. Prabhu was one of the requirements. Later, my teacher, Professor Carl-Gustav Esseen, gave me some problems in this area for a possible thesis, the result of which was Gut (1974a). Over the years I have, on and off, continued research in this field. During this time it has become clear that many limit theorems can be obtained with the aid of limit theorems for random walks indexed by families of positive, integer valued random variables, typically by families of stopping times. During the spring semester of 1984 Professor Prabhu visited Uppsala and very soon got me started on a book focusing on this aspect. I wish to thank him for getting me into this project, for his advice and suggestions, as well as his kindness and hospitality during my stay at Cornell in the spring of 1985. Throughout the writing of this book I have had immense help and support from Svante Janson. He has not only read, but scrutinized, every word and every formula of this and earlier versions of the manuscript. My gratitude to him for all the errors he found, for his perspicacious suggestions and remarks and, above all, for what his unusual personal as well as scientific generosity has meant to me cannot be expressed in words.
Sinai's book leads the student through the standard material for ProbabilityTheory, with stops along the way for interesting topics such as statistical mechanics, not usually included in a book for beginners. The first part of the book covers discrete random variables, using the same approach, basedon Kolmogorov's axioms for probability, used later for the general case. The text is divided into sixteen lectures, each covering a major topic. The introductory notions and classical results are included, of course: random variables, the central limit theorem, the law of large numbers, conditional probability, random walks, etc. Sinai's style is accessible and clear, with interesting examples to accompany new ideas. Besides statistical mechanics, other interesting, less common topics found in the book are: percolation, the concept of stability in the central limit theorem and the study of probability of large deviations. Little more than a standard undergraduate course in analysis is assumed of the reader. Notions from measure theory and Lebesgue integration are introduced in the second half of the text. The book is suitable for second or third year students in mathematics, physics or other natural sciences. It could also be usedby more advanced readers who want to learn the mathematics of probability theory and some of its applications in statistical physics.
The Heisenberg group comes from quantum mechanics and is the simplest non-commutative Lie group. While it belongs to the class of simply connected nilpotent Lie groups, it turns out that its special structure yields many results which (up to now) have not carried over to this larger class. This book is a survey of probabilistic results on the Heisenberg group. The emphasis lies on limit theorems and their relation to Brownian motion. Besides classical probability tools, non-commutative Fourier analysis and functional analysis (operator semigroups) comes in. The book is intended for probabilists and analysts interested in Lie groups, but given the many applications of the Heisenberg group, it will also be useful for theoretical phycisists specialized in quantum mechanics and for engineers.
Martingale Limit Theory and Its Application discusses the asymptotic properties of martingales, particularly as regards key prototype of probabilistic behavior that has wide applications. The book explains the thesis that martingale theory is central to probability theory, and also examines the relationships between martingales and processes embeddable in or approximated by Brownian motion. The text reviews the martingale convergence theorem, the classical limit theory and analogs, and the martingale limit theorems viewed as the rate of convergence results in the martingale convergence theorem. The book explains the square function inequalities, weak law of large numbers, as well as the strong law of large numbers. The text discusses the reverse martingales, martingale tail sums, the invariance principles in the central limit theorem, and also the law of the iterated logarithm. The book investigates the limit theory for stationary processes via corresponding results for approximating martingales and the estimation of parameters from stochastic processes. The text can be profitably used as a reference for mathematicians, advanced students, and professors of higher mathematics or statistics.
Elements of Probability Theory focuses on the basic ideas and methods of the theory of probability. The book first discusses events and probabilities, including the classical meaning of probability, fundamental properties of probabilities, and the primary rule for the multiplication of probabilities. The text also touches on random variables and probability distributions. Topics include discrete and random variables; functions of random variables; and binomial distributions. The selection also discusses the numerical characteristics of probability distributions; limit theorems and estimates of the mean; and the law of large numbers. The text also describes linear correlation, including conditional expectations and their properties, coefficient of correlation, and best linear approximation to the regression function. The book presents tables that show the values of the normal probability integral, Poisson distribution, and values of the normal probability density. The text is a good source of data for readers and students interested in probability theory.
Potential theory and certain aspects of probability theory are intimately related, perhaps most obviously in that the transition function determining a Markov process can be used to define the Green function of a potential theory. Thus it is possible to define and develop many potential theoretic concepts probabilistically, a procedure potential theorists observe withjaun diced eyes in view of the fact that now as in the past their subject provides the motivation for much of Markov process theory. However that may be it is clear that certain concepts in potential theory correspond closely to concepts in probability theory, specifically to concepts in martingale theory. For example, superharmonic functions correspond to supermartingales. More specifically: the Fatou type boundary limit theorems in potential theory correspond to supermartingale convergence theorems; the limit properties of monotone sequences of superharmonic functions correspond surprisingly closely to limit properties of monotone sequences of super martingales; certain positive superharmonic functions [supermartingales] are called "potentials," have associated measures in their respective theories and are subject to domination principles (inequalities) involving the supports of those measures; in each theory there is a reduction operation whose properties are the same in the two theories and these reductions induce sweeping (balayage) of the measures associated with potentials, and so on.
This book presents a clear, systematic treatment of convergence theorems of set-valued random variables (random sets) and fuzzy set-valued random variables (random fuzzy sets). Topics such as strong laws of large numbers and central limit theorems, including new results in connection with the theory of empirical processes are covered. The author's own recent developments on martingale convergence theorems and their applications to data processing are also included. The mathematical foundations along with a clear explanation such as Hölmander's embedding theorem, notions of various convergence of sets and fuzzy sets, Aumann integrals, conditional expectations, selection theorems, measurability and integrability arguments for both set-valued and fuzzy set-valued random variables and newly obtained optimizations techniques based on invariant properties are also given.