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When the Extraordinarily Rare Meets the Commonplace: Understanding Coincidences |
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| | Post date: 2025/01/16 | |
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Eco Science Foundation (Eco SF) and Union of Iranian societies of Mathematical Sciences (UIMS)
Cordially invite you to participate in Lecture Series on Popularizing Mathematics and Science.
When the Extraordinarily Rare Meets the Commonplace:
Understanding Coincidences
Speeker: Dr. saeed Ghahramani
Tuesday, January 21, 2025
07:30 PM (GMT+5) Pakistan Time
06:00 PM (GMT+3:30) Tehran Time
http://www.skyroom.online/ch/iranianschoolskw/uisms
uismsm.ir
www.ecosf.org
 uisms1393
Understanding Coincidences
Saeed Ghahramani
Professor of Mathematics
Dean Emeritus of Arts and Sciences
Western New England University
sghahramwne.edu
Abstract:
In this talk, we delve into the intriguing realm of events that appear to defy
The limits of possibility—events so rare and improbable that they often seem
Beyond the reach of natural laws. What accounts for their recurrence? How
Can we make sense of the seemingly unnatural and anomalistic, such as a
Person being struck by lightning multiple times or winning the lottery
Jackpot more than once?
While these occurrences might be dismissed as mere anomalies or strokes of fate, they serve as fascinating illustrations of the interplay between chance and inevitability in a probabilistic world. Far from being random chaos, such rare events are governed by the very same mathematical principles that underpin much of the universe. Just as natural laws regulate physical and biological phenomena, the laws of probability offer a framework to understand and even predict the occurrence of extraordinarily rare events.
As we explore the science and philosophy of probability, we will uncover how chance and structure intertwine to shape events that seem beyond belief. Through this lens, we will explore how the extraordinary emerges from the ordinary, offering insights into why the improbable not only occurs but is, in some sense, an inevitable part of our world.
A Short Biography of Saeed Ghahramani
Saeed Ghahramani, a graduate of Arya Mehr (Sharif) University of
Technology in Tehran, earned his Ph.D. in mathematics from the University of California, Berkeley. He is the author of five distinct editions of the widely acclaimed textbook Fundamentals of Probability with Stochastic Processes and has published numerous research papers in esteemed refereed mathematical journals. Currently, he serves as a professor of mathematics at Western New
England University in Massachusetts. From July 2000 to August 2020, he was the Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at the same institution. Prior to this role, he spent 17 years teaching at Towson University and Johns
Hopkins University.
Ghahramani is the author of a short story collection in Farsi titled An Iranian-
American Experience, published by the renowned Hermes Publishers in
Tehran. He also produced a highly praised Farsi translation of Alfréd Rényi's masterpiece, Dialogues in Mathematics, a collection of fictional mathematical dialogues. Additionally, he has published 16 refereed papers on modern and classical poetry, literature, and the arts in Persian journals. His full-length novel, Dorna, published in English, is inspired by a captivating love story set against the backdrop of the Soviet invasion of Iranian Azerbaijan.
Over the years, Ghahramani has explored the intriguing parallels between
Hafiz's poetic methodology and the processes mathematicians use to develop new theories, uncovering them as kindred spirits. These reflections serve as the foundation of his forthcoming book, Mathematical Outlook in the
Poetry of Hafiz.
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