An Introduction to the Theory of Point Processes, Vol. I: Elementary Theory and Methods
An Introduction to the Theory of Point Processes, Vol. I: Elementary Theory and Methods
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DOI：
10.1198/tech.2004.s802
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发表时间：
2004-05
期刊：
影响因子：
2.5
通讯作者：
J. Scargle
中科院分区：
文献类型：
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作者：
J. Scargle
就可读性而言，我发现这篇文章读起来很容易，也很愉快。引用作者在序言中的话，“你毫无疑问注意到这本书读起来不像大多数其他文本。我们希望我们的方法能鼓励学生阅读这本书。另一方面，学生谁计划只是略读这本书或希望挑选出重要的概念和定义，因为他们希望把他们放在小盒子里可能会发现这本书令人沮丧。这是一本需要阅读的书。"我完全同意。没有突出显示，没有偏移，没有定义，也没有盒装公式。相反，作者在文本中嵌入了信息;最好通过彻底的阅读来获取。阅读完这篇课文后，我想学生们会想读这篇课文，因为作者们把幽默穿插在整个过程中。例如，有一个标题为“一张照片值1 P.Z> 3：09/Words”的部分，另一个标题为“当我64岁时我会打鼾吗？”人们在阅读之后不禁会咯咯地笑，想知道接下来会发生什么。我还发现例子和练习中使用的设置非常朗朗上口和有趣。其中一个我认为特别有趣和不寻常的发生在简单线性回归的章节中，涉及阿拉斯加Nenana的Tanana河的冰破裂日期。由于当地社区对这一事件下注，因此从1917年开始就存在冰破裂日期的确切记录。我向作者致敬，因为他们为回归绘制了这样一个“古怪”的插图（或者，如果它是编造的，因为他们有创造力来编造它!）。虽然没有章节练习，但在每一章的结尾都有很多练习（通常在30个或更多的数量级上）。我希望看到更多，但这些练习将抓住并保持读者的兴趣，并为雄心勃勃的学生或作业提供足够的数量。最后，虽然文本不够厚，不能归入“大部头”类别，但它只是比一张普通的纸略小。它处于我认为的大型文本的边缘。最后的几点评论是正确的。我发现，在使用许多颜色和彩色图片的文本中，我会被视觉冲击分心。因为我是在黑色和白色的文本中长大的，我想我对它们更舒服。然而，Intro Stats非常有效地使用了颜色。例如，在简单线性回归散点图中简单使用"红色"回归线，可以大大增强对图表的解释。同样，许多彩色图片在视觉上令人愉悦，在阅读时也没有分散我的注意力。该文本的网站（http：//www.example.com）。html）包含了大量的材料，教师将认为有用的。除了列出哪些补充可供学生购买，"补充教师"部分包括一套PowerPoint演示文稿的整个文本应该选择放弃传统的"粉笔"讲座格式。随正文附带的CD还包含各种有用的材料，包括关于ANOVA和多元回归的两个补充章节的PDF格式的文档以及ActivStats软件。我以前从来没有使用过ActivStats，但在使用了一点之后就被它迷住了。将该软件与文本一起打包，肯定会使其易于访问，因此更有可能被学生使用。文本中的许多数据集也在CD上;然而，我感到沮丧的是，阿拉斯加的冰破裂数据没有包括在内。最后，我喜欢每一章中出现的两个部分，标题为“假设和条件”和“什么会出错？”正如这些标题所暗示的那样，作者不遗余力地向学生展示每种统计技术所必需的假设和条件，以及这些技术可能出现的问题。我喜欢在这个介绍性的层次上强调假设，这方面使这篇文章在这方面相当独特。当一切都说了和做了，我会deadenitely考虑这篇文章的介绍统计课程。它不仅涵盖了必要的主题，它也非常容易和愉快的阅读。仅仅因为学生们认为统计学是一门枯燥、枯燥、乏味的学科，并不意味着我们的教科书必须延续这种模式!
In terms of readability, I found the text very easy and enjoyable to read. To quote the authors from the Preface, “You have no doubt noticed that this book doesn’t read like most other texts. We hope that our approach will encourage students to read the book. On the other hand, students who plan to just skim the book or hope to pick out the important concepts and de nitions because they expect to nd them in little boxes may nd the book frustrating. This is a book that needs to be read.” I would concur wholeheartedly. There are no highlights, no offsets, no de nitions, and no boxed formulas. Instead, the authors have embedded information in the text; it is best accessed through a thorough reading. After reading the text, I think that students would want to read the text, because the authors intersperse humor throughout. For example, there is a section titled “A Picture is Worth 1 P.Z>3:09/ Words,” and another titled “Will I Snore When I’m 64?” One cannot help but chuckle after reading them and wonder what’s coming next. I also found the settings used in examples and exercises very catchy and interesting. One that I thought was particularly interesting and unusual occurs in the simple linear regression chapter, and deals with the date of ice break-up on the Tanana River in Nenana, Alaska. Since the local community wagers on this event, exact records on the date of ice break-up exist from 1917. I salute the authors for nding such an “oddball” illustration for regression (or, if it is made up, for having the creativity to make it up!). Although there are no section exercises, there are many exercises (usually on the order of 30 or more) at the end of each chapter. I would have liked to see more, but these exercises will catch and hold the reader’s interest and provide a suf cient quantity for either the ambitious student or assignments. Finally, although the text is not thick enough to be relegated to the “tome” category, it is just slightly smaller than a regular sheet of paper. It falls on the borderline of what I would consider a large text. A nal few comments are in order. I have found that in texts that make use of many colors and colored pictures, I get distracted by the visual onslaught. Because I grew up with black and white texts, I guess I am more comfortable with them. However, Intro Stats uses color very effectively. For example, the simple use of a “red” regression line in a simple linear regression scatterplot greatly enhances the interpretation of the gure. Likewise, the many color pictures are visually pleasing and did not distract me when reading. The text’s website (http://www.aw-bc.com/info/deveaux-velleman/index. html) contains a host of materials that the instructor will nd useful. In addition to listing what supplements are available for purchase by the student, the “Supplements for the Instructor” section includes a set of PowerPoint presentations for the entire text should one choose to forego the traditional “chalk” lecture format. The CD included with the text also contains a variety of useful material, including pdf les of the two supplemental chapters on ANOVA and multiple regression as well as the ActivStats software. I had never used ActivStats before, but was intrigued by it after using it just a little. Having this software packaged with the text will certainly make it readily accessible to, and hence more likely to be used by, students. Many of the datasets from the text are also on the CD; however, I was dismayed that the Alaska ice break-up data was not included. Finally, I like two sections that occur in each chapter, titled “Assumptions and Conditions” and “What Can Go Wrong?” As these titles imply, the authors go to great lengths to show the student what assumptions and conditions are necessary for each statistical technique and what can go wrong with these techniques. I like the emphasis of assumptions at this introductory level, and this aspect makes this text fairly unique in this regard. When all is said and done, I would de nitely consider this text for an introductory stat course. It not only covers the necessary topics, it also very easy and enjoyable to read. Just because students consider statistics a dull, dry, and boring subject does not mean that our texts have to perpetuate this mold!