Introduction

This seminar is run during the Spring semester, 2011. In this class, we learn the theory and applications of Information Based Complexity: the branch of computational complexity that deals with the intrinsic difficulty of the approximate solution of problems for which the information is partial, noisy and priced. Our studies are mainly based on the book - Selected Topics in Approximation and Computation.

Topics

General concepts about information, algorithm and computational method
Optimal information, optimal algorithm and the corresponding complexity

Instructor

Christopher Sikorski

Schedule

When Where Topic
01/12 Wed. 02:00PM Kris's office organizational meeting
01/19 Wed. 02:00PM Kris's office History of Information Based Complexity
01/26 Wed. 03:00PM Graphics Annex Introduction to the integral example in Chapter 7
02/09 Wed. 02:40PM Kris's office Review of the example and introduction to more general concepts of information, algorithm and computational method
02/23 Wed. 02:40PM Kris's office Optimal information, complexity issues and optimal complexity methods
03/09 Wed. 02:40PM Kris's office Generalization of information, algorithm and computational method; radius and diameter; adversary principle.
03/16 Wed. 02:40PM Kris's office Interpolatory algorithms and introduction to linear problems
03/30 Wed. 02:40PM Kris's office Proof of a linear theory about unsolvability and introduction to nonlinear problems
04/06 Wed. 02:40PM Kris's office Continue the discussion about the Borsuk - Ulam's Lemma on antipoles and the proof of the solvability of linear problems with nonlinear information
04/13 Wed. 02:00PM WEB L104 Go to attend the SCI seminar during which the Nobel Laureate Richard J. Roberts will give a talk on genomes, computers and experimentation in biology.
04/20 Wed. 02:40PM Kris's office Designing optimal algorithms for linear problems and introduction to unitary space and scalar product in our class F.
04/27 Wed. 02:40PM Kris's office Continue the proof of designing optimal algorithms and discuss the signal reconstruction example