Please note that the official course website is on Canvas (log in with CNetID), NOT here. This webpage is for those who are interested in STAT 25300/31700 to get an idea of what the course is like.

Click here to view the older STAT 25300/31700 webpage for Winter 2014.

Prerequisites

STAT 24400 or 24410 or 25100 or 25150. Or instructor consent.

Textbooks

Introduction to Probability Models (12th or 11th edition) by S. Ross

Course Schedule and Slides

Week Date Topic and Slides Textbook Coverage
1 M, Jan. 11 Lecture 1: Definitions of Markov chains, transition probabilities, Ehrenfest diffusion models, discrete queueing models Sections 4.1
. W, Jan. 13 Lecture 2: Chapman-Kolmogorov Equation Sections 4.2
. F, Jan. 15 Lecture 3: Classification of states (recurrent, transient), recurrence and transience of simple random walks Section 4.3
2 M, Jan. 18 Martin Luther Kings’ Day, No Class
. W, Jan. 20 Lecture 4: Limiting distribution I Sections 4.4
. F, Jan. 22 Lecture 5: Limiting distribution II Sections 4.4.
3 M, Jan. 25
W, Jan. 27
Lecture 6: Backward Markov chain, time reversibility, detailed balanced equation, random walk on a weighted graph Sections 4.8
. F, Jan. 29 Lecture 7: Trick of conditioning on the previous step, branching Processes Sections 4.7.
4 M, Feb. 1 Lecture 8: Generating Functions
. W, Feb. 3 Lecture 9: Exponential distributions, memoryless property, definitions of Poisson processes Section 5.2-5.3
. F, Feb. 5 Midterm I, No Class -
5 M, Feb. 8 Lecture 10: Interarrival times of a Poisson process, conditional distribution of interarrival times Sections 5.3
. W, Feb. 10 Lecture 11: Thinning, superposition, “converse” of thinning and superposition, generalization of Poisson processes Sections 5.3-5.4
. F, Feb. 12 Lecture 12: Definitions of continuous-time Markov chains, birth-and-death processes, Chapman-Kolmogorov equation, forward equation, backward equation Sections 6.2-6.4
6 M, Feb. 15 Lecture 13: Limiting probabilities, time reversibility Sections 6.5-6.6
. W, Feb. 17 Lecture 14: Definition of renewal processes, renewal function, renewal equation Sections 7.2
. F, Feb. 19 Lecture 15: Limit theorems, stopping time, Wald’s equation, elementary renewal theorem. Section 7.3
. - Lecture 16: limit theorems, CLT for renewal processes (Not covered in 2021) Section 7.3
7 M, Feb. 22 Lecture 17: Renewal Reward Processes, Alternating Renewal Processes Section 7.4 & 7.5.1
. W, Feb. 24 Lecture 18: the inspection paradox; queueing models Section 7.7 & 8.1
. F, Feb. 26 Midterm II, No Class -
8 M, Mar. 1 Lecture 19: Little’s formula, cost identity, birth-death queueing models Section 8.2.1 & 8.3.
. W, Mar. 3 Lecture 20: PASTA principle; a Markov chain embedded in M/G/1 Section 8.2.2, 8.5
. F, Mar. 5 Lecture 21: a Markov Chain embedded in G/M/1; G/M/k, M/G/k Section 8.6, 8.9.3-8.9.4
9 M, Mar. 8
W, Mar. 10
Lecture 22&23 Brownian motion as a limit of random walk, conditional distribution; Hitting Time, Maximum, Reflection Principle Section 10.1-10.2
. F, Mar. 12 Lecture 24: Wald’s identities for Brownian motions -
. - Lecture 25: The Maximum of Brownian Motion with Drift (not covered in 2021) Section 10.5