Part 1. Introducing probabilistic programming and Figaro

What is probabilistic programming? Why is it useful? How do you use it? These questions are the main subject of part 1. Chapter 1 introduces you to the basic ideas of probabilistic programming. It begins with the concept of a probabilistic reasoning system and shows you how probabilistic programming marries the traditional concept of probabilistic reasoning systems with programming language technology.

In this book, you’ll use a probabilistic programming system called Figaro. Chapter 1 briefly introduces Figaro, while chapter 2 presents a quick tutorial of all the main Figaro concepts, so you can quickly start writing probabilistic programs. Chapter 3 presents a complete probabilistic programming application to give you a big-picture overview of how a practical application is put together. Though this chapter is placed near the beginning of the book so you start with the big picture, it’s worth revisiting as you read more of the book and have learned some of the deeper concepts.