This book discloses a fascinating connection between optimal stopping
problems in probability and free-boundary problems. It focuses on key
examples and the theory of optimal stopping is exposed at its basic
principles in discrete and continuous time covering martingale and
Markovian methods. Methods of solution explained range from change of
time, space, and measure, to more recent ones such as local time-space
calculus and nonlinear integral equations. A chapter on stochastic
processes makes the material more accessible. The book will appeal to
those wishing to master stochastic calculus via fundamental examples.
Areas of application include financial mathematics, financial
engineering, and mathematical statistics.