Splash Biography

For too long have we submitted to the tyranny of unifying themes. How many bears can you run away from forever? How can electrons prove inequalities for us? Why is traffic so bad on your favorite roads? How can physics prove the Pythagorean Theorem? And most importantly, how many of these kinds of things can we answer in under an hour?

Some problems aren't just difficult for computers, they're impossible! Starting only with simple assumptions about what computer programs can do, we'll show that you can't reliably detect when a program has an infinite loop. Using that we'll prove Rice's Theorem, a shockingly powerful statement about the impossibility of many problems we might like to solve.

Regular elections are prone to vote splitting - a candidate that most people hate could win with just 10% of the vote as long as 10 other candidates split the remaining 90%. In this class we will explore alternative voting systems that become possible if voters rank all the candidates instead of just their top choice.

Learn to solve (and maybe write) puzzles like these: primepuzzles.wordpress.com

Regular elections are prone to vote splitting - a candidate that most people hate could win with just 10% of the vote as long as 10 other candidates split the remaining 90%. If voters supply a ranking of all the candidates instead of just their top choice, a whole world of better voting systems become possible. In this class we will come up with those systems and discuss their pros and cons.

Enter a world where a puzzle can be a list of pictures, a gibberish sound file, or just six words. What are the rules? Figure them out!

For too long have we submitted to the tyranny of unifying themes. How many bears can you run away from forever? How can electrons prove inequalities for us? Why is traffic so bad on your favorite roads? How can physics prove the Pythagorean Theorem? And most importantly, how many of these kinds of things can we answer in under an hour?

Some problems aren't just difficult for computers, they're impossible! Starting only with simple assumptions about what computer programs can do, we'll show that you can't reliably detect when a program has an infinite loop. Using that we'll prove Rice's Theorem, a shockingly powerful statement about the impossibility of many problems we might like to solve.

Learn to solve (and maybe write) puzzles like these: primepuzzles.wordpress.com

Regular elections are prone to vote splitting - a candidate that most people hate could win with just 10% of the vote as long as 10 other candidates split the remaining 90%. If voters supply a ranking of all the candidates instead of just their top choice, a whole world of better voting systems become possible. In this class we will come up with those systems and discuss their pros and cons.

Enter a world where a puzzle can be a list of pictures, a gibberish sound file, or just six words. What are the rules? Figure them out!

For too long have we submitted to the tyranny of unifying themes. How many bears can you run away from forever? How can electrons prove inequalities for us? Why is traffic so bad on your favorite roads? Are there theorems that are true but can't be proven? How can physics prove the Pythagorean Theorem? And most importantly, how many of these kinds of things can I answer in under an hour?

Same idea as Unrelated Math I (M58) except the topics will be - you guessed it - totally unrelated! So sign up for either or both of these; there will be no overlap between the two.

Some problems aren't just difficult for computers, they're impossible! Starting only with simple assumptions about what computer programs can do, we'll show that you can't reliably detect when a program has an infinite loop. Using that we'll prove Rice's Theorem, a shockingly powerful statement about the impossibility of many problems we might like to solve.

I'm putting you on the spot: everyone who comes to this class will give an impromptu speech! Learn to think on your feet and come up with something coherent to say with little preparation. Get useful tips on how to be a better presenter.

Okay, we're going to take turns writing this class description, each person says one word on their turn: "In every life experience there will be three random lessons: why not write songs parodying all characters, unless one of them ate your shoes." Come unleash the spontaneous, quick-thinking improv artist inside. Gain confidence and problem-solving skills while having a ton of fun!