Joel Friedman's Computer Science 536A Page

This semester (i.e. starting September 2003) I will be teaching a course on Markov chain Monte Carlo methods, especially random sampling and approximate counting. This course is open to graduate students and advanced undergraduates with a background in probability theory. Online registration for this course is only available to grad students; undergraduates must contact me to register.

Topics to be included will be

• techniques: Metropolis process, mixing times, convergence, strong stationary times, coupling, eigenvalues;
• applications: Ising model, partial orders, matchings, graph colouring, lattice tiling, random maps, volume of a convex body.

The course is currently scheduled to meet at MF 10-11:30am in CICSR 104.

Exercises from class are currently available.

Class will be held on Wednesday, October 15 and on Wednesday, November 12 from 10am to 10:50am in FSC (Forrestry) 1615.