Math Encounters - Paradoxes in Probability: Surprising Results and Why They Matter

Probability theory has a unique distinction among mathematical fields: it is often at odds with human intuition, sometimes very sharply so. Beyond setting up various apparent "paradoxes" of intuition or logic, those counterintuitive aspects sometimes have quite dramatic manifestations in real-life situations. Test your intuition on a variety of simple problems and explore how such paradoxes have crept into scientific research, policy making, and even executive boardrooms!

Math Encounters is a public presentation series celebrating the spectacular world of mathematics, presented by the Simons Foundation and the National Museum of Mathematics.

For further information, call the National Museum of Mathematics at
212-542-0566 or e-mail [email protected].