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How good are we at understanding randomness? Spoiler: not very. The human brain is wired to seek patterns, even where none exist. Why do we think a coin toss is "due" for heads after a streak of tails? Why do we play the lottery? In this talk, we’ll explore some aspects of modern probability theory that highlight the surprising ways our minds misinterpret Probability, Statistics, and Data Analysis. Moreover, these words are often—but wrongly—used interchangeably!

Probability provides the theoretical backbone for understanding uncertainty, statistics uses it to decide if certain bits of information can be found in the data, while data analysis focuses on practical tools to make sense of a huge volume of information. Using simple analogies, we’ll untangle these concepts and show why distinguishing between them and utilising them properly matters, as well as what can go wrong if one skips the harder part of the trio—Probability theory!

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About the speaker

Nicos is Professor of Probability Theory and Applications. In the past, he was Senior Lecturer and Lecturer at the Sussex. He used to hold a Postdoctoral Fellowship in the University of Utah. Between 2006 and 2011 he was Teaching and Research Assistant in the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He studied a Ph.D. in Mathematics in the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

About ßÏßÏÊÓƵ Universe

ßÏßÏÊÓƵ Universe is the public lecture series from the science schools at the Sussex. Lectures take place every two weeks during the Autumn and Spring teaching semesters. The lectures are completely free to attend and are accessible to a broad audience with no background knowledge.

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By: Graciela Maria Madrid Munoz
Last updated: Thursday, 23 January 2025