The sixth edition of "Probability and
Statistical Inference," co-written by Dr. Elliot Tanis of
the Hope College mathematics faculty, has been released this
month by Prentice-Hall Inc.
First published in 1977, "Probability and
Statistical Inference" is an introductory calculus-based
text geared toward college juniors and seniors. Tanis co-
wrote the book with Dr. Robert V. Hogg of the University of
Iowa, who was his thesis advisor while he was a graduate
student at the University of Iowa.
Although the book has proven successful for more
than two decades, Tanis and Hogg continue to find ways to
make it better. Said Tanis of the latest edition, "We tried
to make it even more user-friendly."
For example, the authors have added a prologue to
introduce some thoughts concerning the role of statistics
for students to consider as they work with the text; a
"centerpiece" for the transition from the discussion of
probability in the first half of the book to the treatment
of statistical inference in the latter half; and an epilogue
to tie things together.
In addition, a CD-ROM prepared for the new edition
features animated versions of some of the book's graphs,
showing what happens when parameters are changed. With both
the instructor and student in mind, the CD-ROM provides
colored versions of graphs that are rendered in black-and-
white in the book. Furthermore, all of the data sets for
the examples and exercises are on the CD-ROM so they can be
analyzed more easily without the drudgery of inputting all
of the data.
As in previous editions, the book continues to
emphasize practical examples, including some taken from the
Hope campus itself.
Tanis retired in May as a professor emeritus of
mathematics after 35 years on the Hope faculty. A
specialist in statistics, he is also the co-author of
"Probability and Statistics: Explorations with MAPLE,"
written with Dr. Zaven Karian of the Denison University
faculty.
He is a past governor of the Michigan Section of
the Mathematical Association of America. The association
presented him with a Distinguished Service Award in 1996.
Tanis served as interim dean for the natural
sciences at Hope in 1993. He received the Hope Outstanding
Professor Educator (H.O.P.E.) Award from the graduating
senior class in 1989.
He holds his master's and doctorate from the
University of Iowa. His undergraduate degree is from
Central College.