The department of statistics and the Faculty of Science present a free public lecture by Jeffrey S. Rosenthal of the department of statistics, University of Toronto.

“The Curious World of Probabilities” is a lighthearted talk for a general audience, exploring what happens when we’re not sure what will happen next. Everything from lottery jackpots to airplane crashes, casino gambling, homicide rates, medical studies, election polls, poker games, coincidences and the spread of disease is fair game. Come and see how probability can shed new light on familiar situations.

Jeffrey S. Rosenthal is the author of Struck by Lightning: The Curious World of Probabilities, a book about probability and randomness in everyday life, intended to inform and entertain readers without requiring any mathematics background.

Frequently contacted by media to comment on news stories involving probability and coincidence, Rosenthal has won numerous teaching awards and is a prolific writer on many topics. He also notes he was born on Friday the 13th.

Rosenthal’s public lecture will be on Monday, November 9, 2009, at 7:00 pm, in 172 St. John’s College, the Robert Schultz Lecture Theatre.

For more information, contact Stana Drobko, statistics, at: 204-474- 9826.