MA 493B-003
Game Theory
Mathematics
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Information
Semester: Fall 2005
Meeting time: MWF 1:30 - 2:20 p.m.
Meeting place: HA 274
Instructor: Stephen Schecter
E-mail address: schecter@math.ncsu.edu
Office location: HA 349
Office hours: MTWHF 9:00 - 10:00 a.m.
Office telephone number: 515-6533
Office fax number: 513-7336
Course Description
Game theory is not about how to play games; it's about any situation that involves conflict or cooperation. Since the work of John Nash that was shown in the film "A Beautiful Mind," game theory has emerged as a basic language for the social, behavioral, and economic sciences, and even as a way to look at literature and morality. Originally the idea was to find the best strategies for rational opponents; today the emphasis is more on the ability of good strategies to spread by virtue of their success. Hence game theory is now used to understand animal behavior and evolution. We'll use the text "Game Theory Evolving" by Herbert Gintis, which is mostly a collection of great problems. Their names give the flavor: "The Landlord and the Eviction Notice," "The Samaritan's Dilemma," "The Rotten Kid Theorem," "Battle of the Sexes," "Real Men Don't Eat Quiche," "Evolution of Trust and Honesty." The mathematical prerequisites are minimal, but the demands on your reasoning ability are more substantial.
This course can be used to satisfy the mathematical modeling requirement for an applied mathematics degree; there will also be an optional paper for students who want to satisfy the major paper requirement. The course should be of interest to students in economics, biology, and other fields.
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Last modified Fri Sep 16 2005
Send questions or comments to schecter@math.ncsu.edu