This is the course webpage for MATH 170A at the University of California Los Angeles for Winter 2026, an introductory course in probability theory following approximately Chapters 1-8 of the book Probability: an introduction (2e) by Grimmett and Welsh ( is available for free on the internet if you know where to look), though with an increased emphasis on measure theory and more complete proofs provided as such. Notes will be provided below:
The syllabus is available here.
Lecture takes place 9:00-9:50 am in Mathematical Sciences room 5147. Office hours will be 11-12 on Monday, or by appointment, in my office, Room 6617-F in the Mathematical Sciences Building.
The homeworks are available below:
This course is given as a blend of traditional lecture and active learning style:
Traditional lecture: The definitions, statements of results, and outlines of examples are given in the slides (linked below after each class), while the proofs of results, and details of examples are done at the chalk board.
Active learning: After each group of new concepts is introduced, a set of discussion questions are posted. Students are given 5-10 minutes to work on the problems and discuss with eachother, and then I'll discuss the solutions at the chalk board; this portion of the class follows the usual 'think-pair-share' paradigm of active learning.
Warning: The slides below represent only a small subset of the information dispersed in class. I recommend attending every lecture and engaging during the active learning periods to maximize your learning.
Slides:
Week 2 Class 4 Class 5 Class 6
Week 3 MLK day Class 8 Class 9
Week 4 Class 10 Class 11 MIDTERM 1
Week 5 Class 13 Class 14 Class 15Â
Week 6 Class 16 Class 17 Class 18
Week 7 Holiday Class 20 Class 21
Week 8 Class 22 Class 23 MIDTERM 2
Week 9 Class 25 Class 26 Class 27
Week 10 Class 28 Class 29 Final review
Week 11 THURSDAY MARCH 19 FINAL EXAM