Identities and bounds for the reliability of coherent systems are analysed and computed using the techniques of commutative algebra. The techniques are applied to the analysis of some of the most relevant k-out-of-n class systems. The efficiency of the algebraic approach in obtaining exact...

This paper presents a new procedure to construct families of spatial approximation-prediction functions which depend on several parameters. The method is based on partitions of the unity. In order to find optimal functions in these families we introduce a Vietoris simplicial set associated to an...