Probability—the science of uncertainty

Whether it’s your chance of winning Lotto, betting on sports, taking out insurance or weather forecasts predicting the chance of rain, probability plays a part in our everyday lives.

On Monday 23 April, a world-leading mathematician is speaking at Victoria University on probability.

Geoffrey Grimmett, Professor of Mathematical Statistics at Cambridge University, will explore probability theory with a number of examples including gambling, parenthood and the sinking of the Titanic.

Professor Grimmett is an exceptional mathematician says Dr Peter Donelan from Victoria’s School of Mathematics, Statistics and Operations Research who is helping to organise the lecture.

"It’s brilliant to have such an expert in probability theory to give this lecture. Professor Grimmett brings together statistics and parts of mathematics to understand this area better.

"Probability seems straightforward—you roll a dice and get a number from one to six, toss a coin and get heads or tails—but there are some pretty surprising outcomes."

In August 2001, England cricket captain Nasser Hussain lost the pre-game coin toss for the 14th successive time for instance; some people have won major lottery draws more than once.

"There’s a rich history of studying probability and this lecture is ideal for anyone interested in maths; you don’t need to be an expert," says Dr Donelan.

The Forder Lecture is organised by the London Mathematical Society and the New Zealand Mathematical Society.

Forder Lecture—Professor Geoffrey Grimmett
Monday 23 April, 6.30pm
Maclaurin LT103, Gate 6, Kelburn Campus
Victoria University