UW Math 497 Spring 2008; Th 4:30-6:50

Game Theory

Instructor: Christopher Hoffman

Department of Mathematics, University of Washington, Seattle, WA

Game theory is a fascinating subject, which sheds light on diverse topics including economics, voting and even evolutionary biology. To gain a feeling for the strategies involved, we will try many of the games in class. We will also explore some of the beautiful mathematical tools that give game theory its power. Among the topics to be covered are

1. Zero sum games
2. Nash Equilibriums
3. Voting systems such as simple majority vote versus the electoral college.
4. Well known games like hex, chess and nim.