Probability underlies much of the modern world – an engineering professor explains how it actually works

Scientific research, artificial intelligence and modern bank security all rely on probability.

By: Zachary del Rosario, Olin College of Engineering, The Conversation

Outlets: The Conversation

Published: February 20, 2026

Words: 1,138

Last Updated: 3 days, 5 hours ago

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By Zachary del Rosario, Olin College of Engineering

Probability underpins AI, cryptography and statistics. However, as the philosopher Bertrand Russell said, “Probability is the most important concept in modern science, especially as nobody has the slightest notion what it means.”

I teach statistics to engineers, so I know that while probability is important, it is counterintuitive.

Probability is a branch of mathematics that describes randomness. When scientists describe randomness, they’re describing chance …

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