Navigating Probability: A Computational Approach

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 and Media Inquiries

Winter 2025–2026 Publication
Publicity and Interviews: publishing@wolfram.com
Non-Fiction

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

About the Author

Marc Vicuna is a Kernel Developer of mathematical computation at Wolfram. He holds an MSc in data science from Carleton University and bachelor's degrees in applied mathematics, statistics and computer science from Concordia University. His work focuses on discrete mathematics, statistics and game theory in Wolfram Language, as well as Wolfram U online course development.