Math 152
Applicable Mathematics and Computing, Spring 2017
Announcements
Course Description
The course Math 152 emphasizes the connetion between the theory and applications of mathematics and computing, and the exact topic
can vary from quarter to quarter. In Spring 2017, the topic will be
game theory, following the textbook
Game Theory
by Thomas S. Ferguson, which is
freely available online.
Tentatively we will cover Part I (chapters 1-4), Part II (chapters 1-5), Part III (chapters 1-4), and Part IV (chapters 1, 3
and if time permits 2 and 4).
Written problem sets will be posted weekly, and will be due on
Wednesdays (first homework due on
Wednesday of Week 2).
There will be two midterm exams in
addition to the final. The weighting of midterms, final and homework towards the final grade has not been finalized,
but will be posted here before the start of term.
Course Logistics
Lectures will be
MWF 10-10.50 AM in Center Hall 115. The final exam is
Monday 06/12 at 8.00-11.00 AM .
The discussion sections are:
- A01: Monday 5-5.50PM, APM B412, Dun Qiu
- A02: Monday 6-6.50PM, APM B412, Dun Qiu
- A03: Monday 7-7.50PM, APM B412, An-Vy Hoang
- A04: Monday 8-8.50PM, APM B412, Nimish
Srivastava
- A05: Monday 5-5.50PM, APM B402A, Nimish
Srivastava
- A06: Monday 6-6.50PM, APM B402A, An-Vy Hoang
Office hours:
- An-Vy Hoang (ath008 AT ucsd.edu): Mondays and Wednesdays, 11AM-1PM in APM 6436
- Dun Qiu (duqiu AT ucsd.edu): Tuesdays 10.30AM-12.30PM, Thursday 1.30PM-3.30PM in SDSC E294
- Nimish Srivastava (n2srivas AT eng.ucsd.edu): Tuesday 1PM-3PM, Wednesdays 2PM-4PM in
APM 2313
- Josh Tobin: Mondays 9AM-10AM, 1PM-3PM, Wednesdays 1PM-2PM in APM 5768
Homework Assignments
Homework assignments are due on Wednesdays at 4PM in the APM basement. Late homework will not be accepted, as homework solutions
will be posted online after the deadline.
Exam and Grading Policies
There will be two midterm exams (in-class on 21st of April and 19th of May), as well as the final examination.
Students' overall course score will be calculated as: 20% homework + 20% midterm1 + 20% midterm2 + 40% final exam.
Exams will be returned in section, and any errors in grading must be reported before the exam leaves the room.
No cheat-sheet is permitted during the midterms, however during the final examination a single 8.5 x 11 inch
double-sided page of notes will be allowed. Calculators will neither be needed or allowed during examinations.
For full information about course policies, please view the
course syllabus.
Lecture Slides
- Week 1, Monday
- Week 1, Wednesday
- Week 1, Friday
- Week 2, Monday
- Week 2, Wednesday
- Week 2, Friday
- Week 3, Monday
- Week 3, Wednesday
- Midterm 1 (partial solutions)
- Week 4, Monday
- Week 4, Wednesday
- Week 4, Friday: Guest lecture by Leonard Haff
- Week 5, Monday
- Week 5, Wednesday
- Week 5, Friday
- Week 6, Monday
- Week 6, Wednesday
- Week 6, Friday
- Week 7, Monday
- Week 7, Wednesday
- Midterm 2
- Week 8, Monday
- Week 8, Wednesday
- Week 8, Friday
- Week 9, Monday: Memorial day
- Week 9, Wednesday
- Week 9, Friday
- Week 10, Monday
- Week 10, Wednesday
- Week 10, Friday
Additional Resources
Other books and courses
- Game Theory, Alive by Anna R. Karlin and Yuval Peres - available online. Another
textbook that covers very similar material, with many applications.
- Winning Ways for your mathematical plays by Berlekamp, Conway and Guy. A classic text on Combinatorial Game Theory.
- Math 168A (Summer Sessions 1&2): Course on Combinatorial Game Theory offered by Prof. Leonard Haff. Highly recommended for students interested
in further exploring the topics covered in the early part of this course, and the deep and surprising connections with pure mathematics.
Articles
Here are some recent articles that highlight the application of game theory to real-world problems. While we won't necessarily discuss most
of these topics specifically in the course, they give a feel for the wide applicability of the material.