Mathematics Talks
Associate Professor Cheong Kang Hao | Winning by Losing: Unraveling the Mysteries of Parrondo's Paradox
About the Talk
Join us for a journey into the fascinating world of Parrondo's paradox, a counterintuitive phenomenon where combining losing strategies surprisingly leads to a winning outcome. This workshop, titled "Winning by Losing: Unraveling the Mysteries of Parrondo's Paradox," is designed for high school mathematics enthusiasts eager to explore advanced concepts through interactive learning and programming. We'll kick off with an engaging presentation that introduces the paradox, its origins, and its implications in various fields. Students will learn how Parrondo's games challenge conventional wisdom about probability and strategy. If possible, we will get students to roll up their sleeves and dive into coding Parrondo's games themselves. This hands-on exercise will allow students to experiment with the paradox in real-time, encouraging them to modify parameters and observe the outcomes.
About the Speaker
Cheong Kang Hao is a faculty member of the Division of Mathematical Sciences within the School of Physical and Mathematical Sciences at Nanyang Technological University. With over a decade of dedicated research into Parrondo’s paradox, he has made significant contributions to understanding and applying this intriguing phenomenon. His work effectively bridges the paradox with practical modeling problems in various domains, including physical sciences, biological systems, and computational frameworks. Beyond his research, he is passionate about nurturing the next generation of mathematicians. He takes great joy in engaging with high school students, offering them insights into the fascinating world of mathematical research. Through the proposed interactive session and workshop, he hopes to inspire students to explore complex concepts and consider careers in mathematical sciences.
Associate Professor Patrick Pun | Statistics and Machine Learning: A Very Short Introduction
About the Talk
This talk consists of two parts. In the first part, we will introduce the subjects, statistics and machine learning, and their applications. While they both are crucial ingredients of data analysis, their similarities and differences will be discussed. In the second part, we will learn how a statistical analysis guide us on designing a simple machine learning algorithm.
About the Speaker
Patrick Pun is currently a tenured Associate Professor, Assistant Chair (MSc Programmes), and the Programme Director of Master of Science in Financial Technology (MSc in FinTech) at School of Physical and Mathematical Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. Patrick has strong research interests in Financial / Actuarial Mathematics, Big Data Analytics, and AI applications in Finance, as evidenced by his numerous top-tier publications in these fields. He has received several distinguished grants, namely from MOE, NRF, QEP, DSAIR, and NTU, to further his research work alongside his tertiary teaching responsibilities.
Assistant Professor Yan Zhenzhen | Unlocking Victory: Mastering Games Through the Power of Optimization Models
About the Talk
In this lecture, I will showcase the power of optimization models in achieving success across different games. Two games will covered: Sudoku and Gale Berlekamp game.
About the Speaker
Yan Zhenzhen received her PhD in Management Science from the National University of Singapore, and her BSc and MSc in Management Science, Operations Research from the National University of Defense and Technology in China. Her research interests mainly focus on the interplay between optimization and data analytics, with applications to various resource allocation problems.
Dr Ku Cheng Yeaw | The Secret for Communicating Secrets
About the Talk
This workshop introduces the science of communicating secret codes using mathematics. Beginning with an overview of secret key cryptography, students will learn how to encrypt and decrypt messages using shift and affine ciphers via modulo arithmetic. The workshop includes a cryptology trail around the areas in SPMS where students will decrypt secret messages which will lead to a solution of a puzzle.
About the Speaker
Dr Ku Cheng Yeaw received his PhD in Mathematics from Queen Mary, University of London in 2005. He was a Harry Bateman research instructor at California Institute of Technology before coming to Singapore. His favourite theorem is the Erdos-Ko-Rado theorem concerning the size and the structure of largest intersecting uniform hypergraphs.
Associate Professor Andrew Kricker | Topology: Imagining the possible shapes of space
About the Talk
Topology is the mathematical study of the possible shapes of space, where we are allowed to stretch and deform a shape as long as we don’t tear it. This is a fascinating, historical investigation, which uses ideas from every part of mathematics, including theoretical physics. In this workshop we will give a taste of this discipline by focussing on a few gems: the classification of surfaces, the fundamental group, knot theory, the Jones polynomial, and how to build and imagine 3-dimensional spaces.
About the Speaker
Andrew Kricker is a researcher in low-dimensional topology, with a particular focus on topological invariants that were discovered in theoretical physics. Indeed his undergraduate degree was in theoretical physics, before doing a PhD in Mathematics at the University of Melbourne. He has worked in many universities around the world, including the Tokyo Institute of Technology, the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, and the University of Toronto, before joining the School of Mathematical and Physical Sciences at NTU for its inaugural semester in 2005. He teaches many subjects, including first year linear algebra as well as advanced courses in geometry and topology.