Introduction to Probability
- Free to audit
- Paid certificate
- Course certificate
- Intermediate
Introduction to Probability teaches how to reason about uncertainty and randomness and how to make good predictions. It covers the story approach to understanding random variables, the common probability distributions used in statistics and data science, methods for finding the expected value of a random quantity, and conditional probability as a way into complicated problems. Examples range from medical testing to sports prediction, and Harvard presents the course as a foundation for statistical inference, stochastic processes, randomized algorithms and other subjects where probability is needed, as well as for applying the same reasoning in everyday life.
Harvard rates the course intermediate and gives a time commitment of 5 to 10 hours per week; no overall length is stated on the page. It is self-paced and free to audit on edX, with a verified certificate available for $209.
What you’ll learn
- Reason about uncertainty and randomness
- Understand random variables through the story approach
- Work with the common distributions used in statistics and data science
- Find expected values of random quantities
- Use conditional probability to break down complicated problems
Who it’s for
Learners comfortable with mathematics who want a rigorous probability foundation for statistics, data science or engineering.
Source: Harvard Online (opens in a new tab) · Verified · Report a change
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