This information is for the 2020/21 session.
Teacher responsible
Dr Paul Duetting Columbia House COL 3.08
Availability
This course is available on the MSc in Applicable Mathematics and MSc in Operations Research & Analytics. This course is available with permission as an outside option to students on other programmes where regulations permit.
Pre-requisites
Students must have completed Algorithms and Computation (MA407) or have taken an equivalent course that provides basic knowledge in the analysis of algorithms. No prior knowledge about Game Theory is required.
Course content
The last 15-20 years have witnessed a lively interaction between computer science and economics. Many problems central to computer science – from resource allocation problems in large networks to online advertising – fundamentally involve the interaction of multiple self-interested parties. Game theory and mechanism design offer a host of models and definitions to reason about such problems. But the flow of ideas also travels in the opposite direction, as research in computer science has complemented the traditional economics literature in several ways. For example, computer science offers a focus on and a language to discuss computational complexity, has popularised the use of approximation guarantees in situations where exact solutions are unrealistic or unknowable, and proposes several alternatives to Bayesian- or average-case analysis that emphasise robust solutions to economic design problems.
This course gives an overview over the key ideas and developments of this young research field. The focus is on the various new techniques and methods that have been developed, and the new insights that they yield.
Topics covered:
Teaching
This course is delivered through a combination of classes and lectures totaling a minimum of 30 hours across Lent Term. This year, some or all of this teaching will be delivered through a combination of virtual classes and lectures delivered as online videos.
Formative coursework
Students will be expected to produce 10 problem sets in the LT.
Written answers to set problems will be expected on a weekly basis.
Indicative reading
Assessment
Exam (100%, duration: 2 hours) in the summer exam period.
Key facts
Department: Mathematics
Total students 2019/20: Unavailable
Average class size 2019/20: Unavailable
Controlled access 2019/20: No
Value: Half Unit
Personal development skills
Important information in response to COVID-19
Please note that during 2020/21 academic year some variation to teaching and learning activities may be required to respond to changes in public health advice and/or to account for the situation of students in attendance on campus and those studying online during the early part of the academic year. For assessment, this may involve changes to mode of delivery and/or the format or weighting of assessments. Changes will only be made if required and students will be notified about any changes to teaching or assessment plans at the earliest opportunity.