CSC News

Stewart Releases New Book

Congratulations to Dr. William J. Stewart, professor of computer science at NC State University, for having his book entitled Probability, Markov Chains, Queues, and Simulation:  The Mathematical Basis of Performance Modeling, published by Princeton University Press.

The textbook looks at the fundamentals of probability theory, from the basic concepts of set-based probability, through probability distributions, to bounds, limit theorems, and the laws of large numbers.  Discrete and continuous-time Markov chains are analyzed from a theoretical and computational point of view.  Topics include the Chapman-Kolmogorov equations; irreducibility; the potential, fundamental, and reachability matrices; random walk problems; reversibility; renewal processes; and the numerical computation of stationary and transient distributions.  The M/M/1 queue and its extensions to more general birth-death processes are analyzed in detail, as are queues with phase-type arrival and service processes.  The M/G/1 and G/M/1 queues are solved using embedded Markov chains; the busy period, residual service time, and priority scheduling are treated.  Open and closed queueing networks are analyzed.  The final part of the book addresses the mathematical basis of simulation. 

The entire text has been written at a level that is suitable for upper-level undergraduate students or first-year graduate students, and is completely self-contained.

For more information on Dr. Stewart’s book, click here.

For more information on Dr. Stewart, click here.

~coates~