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This event is part of the Royal Society's Summer Science Exhibition 2026.

We live in a world where uncertainty is inevitable. How should we deal with what we don’t know? And what role do chance, luck and coincidence play in our lives?

Professor Sir David Spiegelhalter OBE FRS has spent his career dissecting data in order to understand risks and assess the chances of what might happen in the future. In his 2024 book , he gives readers a window onto how we can all do this better.

He is joined by mathematics teacher, broadcaster and author of , , to discuss the ideas in his book and how the principles of probability can help us think more analytically about everything from medical advice to climate change forecasts, and will explain why roughly 40% of football results come down to luck rather than talent.

This event is part of the Trivedi Science Book Prize talks strand at Summer Science Exhibition 2026.

Attending the event

This event will be held in Theatre 1 at the Royal Society on Saturday 4 July 2026, 3.20pm – 4pm.

• Free to attend as part of Summer Science Exhibition on a first-come, first-served basis, subject to seat availability. We recommend that visitors arrive 10-15 minutes before the session
• Eventbrite tickets for Summer Science Exhibition are recommended, with only a limited number of walk-up tickets released on the day
• Suitable for students aged 14+
• This talk will take place in person
• A recording of this talk will be available later on the
• Live subtitles will be available
• Travel and accessibility information and details on planning your visit - contact us directly to arrange any specific accessibility requirements
• Food and drink will be available for purchase at our onsite café

For all enquiries, please email us.