Navigating Probability: A Computational Approach
Marc Vicuna
Building Intuition through Computation
Probability is more than a set of rules—it's a way of understanding uncertainty. This book builds that understanding step by step, beginning with the core definitions and leading naturally to the construction of random variables, the foundation of modern probability. Each distribution is introduced through its logic and behavior, not rote formula, showing how ideas connect and generalize.
Readers can check their understanding with end-of-chapter exercises, detailed solutions and a sample final exam. The Wolfram U course Introduction to Probability and free companion ebook offer video lessons and interactive code that make probability not just learnable—but computable.
Information & Media Inquiries
- Title: Navigating Probability: A Computational Approach
- Author: Marc Vicuna
- Technical Editor: Juan Ortiz
- Paperback: forthcoming
- Kindle: forthcoming
- Wolfram Notebooks: forthcoming
- Publisher: Wolfram Media, Inc.
- Publication Date: Fall 2026
- ISBN-13: 978-1-57955-111-7 (paperback)
- ISBN-13: 978-1-57955-112-4 (Kindle)
- ISBN-13: 978-1-57955-113-1 (Wolfram Notebooks)
Contents
- Foreword
- What Is Probability?
- Combinatorial Analysis
- Sample Space and Events
- Axiomatic Probability
- Equally Likely Outcomes
- Random Variable
- Discrete Random Variables
- Continuous Random Variables
- Properties of Random Variables
- Simulation and Estimation
- The Bernoulli Distribution
- The Binomial Distribution
- The Poisson Distribution
- The Multinomial Distribution
- The Uniform Distribution
- The Exponential Distribution
- The Normal Distribution
- The Multinormal Distribution
- Transformed Distributions
- Mixture Distributions
- Joint Distributions
- The Law of Large Numbers
- Normal Approximation to the Binomial
- The Central Limit Theorem
- Probability in a Nutshell
- Sample Exam
- References
Companion Online Course Introduction to Probability
Wolfram U interactive courses are hosted on the Wolfram Cloud and allow you to interactively explore concepts using Wolfram Language functionality. This interactive course includes video lessons, practice problems, quizzes, a practice exam, a final exam and a chat-based Course Assistant (requires AI Access). Two shareable certificates are available: course completion and Wolfram Level 1 certification for proficiency in probability. Work through the course content at your own pace and use the built-in progress tracker as you advance. Get started with our free courses by signing in to the Wolfram Cloud with your Wolfram ID—or create one; it's free!
See Course Details