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We detail the rules and mathematical structure of Al-Jabar, a game invented by the authors based on intuitive concepts of color-mixing and ideas from abstract algebra. Game-play consists of manipulating colored game pieces; we discuss how these colored pieces form a group structure and how this structure, along with an operation used to combine the pieces, is used to create a game of strategy. We also consider extensions of the game rules to other group structures. Note: While this is an article for general readership originally published online by Gathering for Gardner in honor of Martin Gardners birthday (Oct. 2011), Al-Jabar has been played in university abstract algebra courses as a teaching tool, as well as by game enthusiasts, since its release. Moreover, the algebraic game structure described has sparked further work by other mathematicians and game designers. Thus, we submit this article to the ArXiV as a resource for educators as well as those interested in mathematical games.
We use the data of tenured and tenure-track faculty at ten public and private math departments of various tiered rankings in the United States, as a case study to demonstrate the statistical and mathematical relationships among several variables, e.g., the number of publications and citations, the rank of professorship and AMS fellow status. At first we do an exploratory data analysis of the math departments. Then various statistical tools, including regression, artificial neural network, and unsupervised learning, are applied and the results obtained from different methods are compared. We conclude that with more advanced models, it may be possible to design an automatic promotion algorithm that has the potential to be fairer, more efficient and more consistent than human approach.
We introduce and analyze several variations of Penneys game aimed to find a more equitable game.
These lecture notes attempt a mathematical treatment of game theory akin to mathematical physics. A game instance is defined as a sequence of states of an underlying system. This viewpoint unifies classical mathematical models for 2-person and, in particular, combinatorial and zero-sum games as well as models for investing and betting. n-person games are studied with emphasis on notions of utilities, potentials and equilibria, which allows to subsume cooperative games as special cases. The represenation of a game theoretic system in a Hilbert space furthermore establishes a link to the mathematical model of quantum mechancis and general interaction systems.
In this note, we present a compatibility test based on John Nashs game-theoretic notion of equilibrium strategy. The test must be taken separately by both partners, making it difficult for either partner alone to control the outcome. The mathematics behind the test including Nashs celebrated theorem and an example from the film, A Beautiful Mind, are discussed as well as how to customize the test for more accurate results and how to modify the test to evaluate interpersonal relationships in other settings, not only romantic. To investigate the long-term dynamics of give and take in a relationship we introduce the iterated dating dilemma and apply the notion of zero-determinant payoff strategy introduced by Dyson and Press in 2012 for the iterated prisoners dilemma.
Mathematicians have traditionally been a select group of academics that produce high-impact ideas allowing substantial results in several fields of science. Throughout the past 35 years, undergraduates enrolling in mathematics or statistics have represented a nearly constant rate of approximately 1% of bachelor degrees awarded in the United States. Even within STEM majors, mathematics or statistics only constitute about 6% of undergraduate degrees awarded nationally. However, the need for STEM professionals continues to grow and the list of needed occupational skills rests heavily in foundational concepts of mathematical modeling curricula, where the interplay of measurements, computer simulation and underlying theoretical frameworks takes center stage. It is not viable to expect a majority of these STEM undergraduates would pursue a double-major that includes mathematics. Here we present our solution, some early results of implementation, and a plan for nationwide adoption.