The Math/Stats Colloquium returns from break with our own Hidefumi Katsuura on the history of the “Cosmic Transition from the Earth to the Sun-Centered Universe”.  It is widely believed that Copernicus introduced the heliocentric (sun-centered) theory around 1530, but it is more accurate to say that he reintroduced the heliocentric theory.  The idea existed since the time before Archimedes (290BC), thanks to a lesser-known astronomer, Aristarchus.  This talk will examine the contributions of: Thales, Pythagoras, Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, Alexander, Ptolemy, Aristarchus, Archimedes, Eratosthenes, Caesar, Cleopatra, Anthony, Claudius Ptolemy, Hypatia, Al Khawarizme, Fibonacci, Brunelleschi, Nicolas of Oresme, Copernicus, Kepler, Brahe, Galileo, and Newton, emphasizing the contributions of Aristarchus, Al Khawarizme, and Kepler.

Background:

• Date: Wed Apr 13
• Time: 3-3:50pm
• Room: MH320
• Snacks: 2:30pm in MH331B

For more information, click here to see the full flyer, suitable for printing and posting.

Hope to see you there!

Upcoming events:

• Wed Apr 20: Nicolette Meshkat, Santa Clara Univ.
  “Algebraic Approaches to Solving the Structural Identifiability Problem in Systems Biology”
• Wed Apr 27: Ellen Veomett, St. Mary’s College of California
  “Coloring Geometrically Defined Graphs”

Click here to go to the Math/Stats Colloquium page.

The Math/Stats Colloquium is very pleased to have our own Dashiell Fryer (SJSU) speaking on “Instability in Simple Decision Schemes”.  It has been shown that a smooth payoff positive game dynamic has a linearization that is a non-negative constant times the linearization for the replicator dynamics.  We will use this to show that in a game of Rock-Paper-Scissors where the payoff associated with losing is larger in absolute value than the payoff associated with winning, no payoff positive game dynamic with nontrivial linearization can be asymptotically stable at the unique Nash equilibrium.  This result will be extended to include all continuous payoff positive game dynamics using other methods.

Background: Differential equations and Calculus III are assumed; no background in game theory required.

• Date: Wed Mar 09
• Time: 3-3:50pm
• Room: MH320
• Snacks: 2:30pm in MH331B

Hope to see you there!

Upcoming events:

• Next colloquium, Wed Apr 13 (second week back from Spring Break)

Colloquium web page: http://www.math.sjsu.edu/~hsu/colloq/

Welcome back, faithful Math/Stats Colloquium-goers!

Our regular schedule resumes with the renowned Carolyn Gordon (Dartmouth College) explaining why “You can’t hear the shape of a drum”.  In spectroscopy, one attempts to recover the chemical composition of, say, a star from the characteristic frequencies of emitted light.  Analogously, Mark Kac’s question “Can one hear the shape of a drum?” asks whether the shape of a vibrating membrane (a drumhead) can be determined from its characteristic frequencies of vibrations (its fundamental tone and overtones).  We will answer this question in the negative by constructing explicit examples of exotic shaped “soundalike” drums.  We will also listen to a simulation of their sound, developed by Dennis DeTurck of the University of Pennsylvania.

Background: A first course in linear algebra will be helpful, but is not necessary.

• Date: Wed Mar 09
• Time: 3-3:50pm
• Room: MH320
• Snacks: 2:30pm in MH331B

For more information, click here to see the full flyer, suitable for printing and posting.

Hope to see you there!

Upcoming events:

• Wed Mar 16: Dashiell Fryer, SJSU
  “Instability in Simple Decision Schemes”
• Wed Mar 23: NO COLLOQUIUM (department meeting)

Click here to go to the Math/Stats Colloquium page.

As you know by now, the first month of the Spring 2016 colloquium is a series of talks by candidates for faculty positions at SJSU.  Below are the remaining job talks scheduled, along with a general description of their topic areas; for more details, see the physical flyers that will be posted around MacQuarrie Hall the morning of each talk.  Talks are all in MacQuarrie Hall 320; Mon-Thu talks are at 3:00pm, and Fri talks are at 10:30am.

Your opinion of these talks and candidates is valuable, so please feel free to share it with hiring committee chairs Slobodan Simic (numerical analysis, applied discrete math, slobodan.simic@sjsu.edu) and Steve Crunk (statistics, steven.crunk@sjsu.edu) or with department chair Bem Cayco (bem.cayco@sjsu.edu).

Hope to see you there!

• Mon Feb 08: Applied discrete math (combinatorics)
• Tue Feb 09: Statistics (machine learning)
  

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• Mon Feb 15: Statistics
• Wed Feb 17: Statistics
• Thu Feb 18: Math/math education
• Fri Feb 19: Math/math education
  

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• Mon Feb 22: Math/math education

Talks by candidates for our faculty position continue with talks on statistics and applied discrete math on Mon Feb 01 and Tue Feb 02, respectively.  Below are the remaining job talks scheduled, along with a general description of their topic areas; for more details, see the physical flyers that will be posted around MacQuarrie Hall the morning of each talk.  Talks are all in MacQuarrie Hall 320; Mon-Thu talks are at 3:00pm, and Fri talks are at 10:30am.

Your opinion of these talks and candidates is valuable, so please feel free to share it with hiring committee chairs Slobodan Simic (numerical analysis, applied discrete math), slobodan.simic@sjsu.edu, and Steve Crunk (statistics), steven.crunk@sjsu.edu.

Hope to see you there!

• Mon Feb 01: Statistics (stochastic processes)
  MH320, 3:00pm
• Tue Feb 02: Applied discrete math (mathematical algorithms)
  MH320, 3:00pm
• Wed Feb 03: Numerical analysis (partial differential equations)
  MH320, 3:00pm
• Thu Feb 04: Applied discrete math (combinatorics)
  MH320, 3:00pm
• Fri Feb 05: CANCELLED
  

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• Mon Feb 08: Applied discrete math
• Tue Feb 09: Statistics
  

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• Mon Feb 15: Statistics
• Wed Feb 17: Statistics
• Thu Feb 18: Math/math education
  

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• Mon Feb 22: Math/math education