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STUDENT COLLOQUIUM - Open to Non Math Majors as well as Math Students Suppose there are several piles of stones, and two players take turns removing as many stones as they wish, provided that all removed stones are from the same pile. The winner is the one to remove the last stone. What is the winning strategy? It turns out that this game, known as nim, is important in that it implicitly contains strategies for a large class of games, the so-called impartial games. Combinatorial game theory is a beautiful subject, full of unexpected results that are not very difficult. No knowledge of advanced mathematics will be needed, and so this colloquium will be accessible to non-math majors as well as students of mathematics. Be prepared to have fun playing games and learning mathematics. Required Book: Berlekamp, E., Conway, J.H., Guy, R.K., Winning Ways for your Mathematical Plays, Vol. 1 2nd ed., A.K. Peters, Ltd. Pub. Note(s): Maximum Units: Two (2.0) Pass. Units for this class are lower-division UCSB units. Optional Texts: Conway, J. H., On Numbers and Games, 2nd ed., A.K. Peters, Ltd. Pub. Selected Papers will also be handed out in class and/or put on a website. Instructor(s): Student Leader: Simon Rubinstein-Salzedo; Supervising Faculty: Maribel Bueno Cachadina Time(s): Monday and Wednesday, 4:00-5:00 pm Place(s): Bldg. 494, Rm. 145 << Back |
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