ABSTRACT
The approach to probability and statistics used in this chapter is the pragmatic one that probability and statistics are methods of operating in the presence of incomplete knowledge.
The most common example is tossing a coin. It will land heads or tails, but the relative frequency is unknown. The two events are often assumed equally likely, but a skilled coin tosser may be able to get heads almost all of the time. The statistical problem in this case is to determine the relative frequency. Given the relative frequency, probability techniques answer such questions as how long can we expect to wait until three heads appear in a row.
