This volume consists of twenty-four papers selected by the editors from
the sixty-one papers presented at the 1st International Conference on
Mathemati- cal Methods in Reliability held at the Politehnica University
of Bucharest from 16 to 19 September 1997. The papers have been divided
into three sections: statistical methods, probabilistic methods, and
special techniques and appli- cations. Of course, as with any
classification, some papers could be as well assigned to other sections.
Problems in reliability are encountered in items in everyday usage.
Relia- bility is an important feature of household appliances, cars,
telephones, power supplies, and so on, whether viewed from the vantage
of the producer or the consumer. Important decisions are based on the
reliability of the product. Obtaining systems that perform adequately
for a specified period of time in a given environment is an important
goal for both government and industry. Hence study and use of
reliability theory, which can be applied in the research, development,
and production phases of a system to enable the user to evaluate and
improve performance, is a worthwhile venture. If reliability theory is
to be useful, it must be quantitative in nature, because reliability
must be demonstra- ble. Subsequently probability and statistics, among
others, play an important part in its development.