Thoughts before Starting
For as long as I can remember, I’ve found probability and combinatorics extremely difficult. It’s been one of those subjects that always felt like a personal defeat, just sitting there in the back of my mind. I’ve tried avoiding it in the past, but I can’t keep running away from it anymore, especially since it’s so important for ML, deep learning, and even the occasional LeetCode problem.
Why this book?
David Morin’s physics books are extremely well known among high school students preparing for Physics Olympiads (I personally own a copy of his classical mechanics book), which is why, when I found out he had a book on probability, I couldn’t wait to get my hands on it. However, years have passed, and I never got around to working through it.
His books are also infamous for their notoriously difficult (but rewarding!) problem sets. Most of his books are structured with just enough theory to build a working understanding before pushing you straight into problem-solving, which seems like a great way to truly absorb the material.
Notes & Highlights
Chapter 1: Combinatorics
My Solutions to the Problem Sets
I’ll attach the $\LaTeX$ doc. once done!