Join Professor Andrew Jaffe for the launch of his new book, The Random Universe – How Models and Probability Help Us Make Sense of the Cosmos. The event will include an insightful talk from the author, and engaging audience Q&A session chaired by James Tapper, journalist at the Observer.
This will then be followed by a drinks reception and the exclusive opportunity to purchase a copy of Professor Jaffe’s book at a special launch-day discount.
If you have any questions that you would like to submit in advance please send them to Ellie Barrand at physicsconnect@imperial.ac.uk
About the book
An award-winning astrophysicist looks at how the understanding of uncertainty and randomness has led to breakthroughs in our knowledge of the cosmos.
All of us understand the world around us by constructing models, comparing them to observations, and drawing conclusions. Scientists create, test, and replace these models by applying the twinned concepts of probability and randomness. Exploring how this process has refined our knowledge of quantum mechanics and the birth of the universe, Andrew H. Jaffe offers a unique synthesis of the philosophy of epistemology, the mathematics of probability, and the science of cosmology.
As Jaffe puts Enlightenment thinkers like David Hume in conversation with contemporary philosophers such as Karl Popper and Imre Lakatos and engages with scientists ranging from Isaac Newton and Galileo to Albert Einstein and Arthur Eddington, he uses Thomas Bayes’s seminal studies of statistics and probability to make sense of conflicting currents of thought. This is a deep look into how we have learned to account for uncertainty in our search for knowledge – and a reminder that science is not about facts and data as such but about creating models that correctly account for those facts and data.
About the author
Andrew H. Jaffe is professor of astrophysics and cosmology at Imperial College London and director of the Imperial Centre for Inference and Cosmology. His research concentrates on the use of principled and powerful statistical techniques to determine the contents and evolution of the Cosmos from telescopes and satellites surveying the Universe. He was born in the USA but lives in London, UK with his family.
Booking and cost
This event is invitation only and free to attend. Get your free ticket by registering here: https://therandomuniversebooklaunch.eventbrite.com