Introduction to Statistical Data Analysis for Engineers and Scientists

This textbook presents a compact introduction to basic statistics using the probabilistic (i.e. "Bayesian'") paradigm. The standard data-analysis topics of a half-semester course are covered: basic data graphics, inference for a proportion parameter from Boolean data, inference for a location and precision parameter from metric data, inference for the difference of parameters, simple linear regression, and inference for the correlation parameter. Prerequisite knowledge is basic probability theory. Plotting and calculation examples are done using Matlab, a commercial interactive scientific software package that is widely used in engineering and science. The examples can also be run, without modification, or the free "Matlab clone" Octave. The book includes 60 exercises with answers.