BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 PRODID:-//Sabre//Sabre VObject 4.5.7//EN CALSCALE:GREGORIAN BEGIN:VTIMEZONE TZID:Europe/Zurich X-LIC-LOCATION:Europe/Zurich TZURL:http://tzurl.org/zoneinfo/Europe/Zurich BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:+0100 TZOFFSETTO:+0200 TZNAME:CEST DTSTART:19810329T020000 RRULE:FREQ=YEARLY;BYMONTH=3;BYDAY=-1SU END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:+0200 TZOFFSETTO:+0100 TZNAME:CET DTSTART:19961027T030000 RRULE:FREQ=YEARLY;BYMONTH=10;BYDAY=-1SU END:STANDARD END:VTIMEZONE BEGIN:VEVENT UID:news1261@dmi.unibas.ch DTSTAMP;TZID=Europe/Zurich:20211104T143247 DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Zurich:20211111T170000 SUMMARY:Number Theory Web Seminar: Avi Wigderson (Institute for Advanced St udy) DESCRIPTION:Is the universe inherently deterministic or probabilistic? Perh aps more importantly - can we tell the difference between the two?\\r\\nHu manity has pondered the meaning and utility of randomness for millennia.\\ r\\nThere is a remarkable variety of ways in which we utilize perfect coin tosses to our advantage: in statistics\, cryptography\, game theory\, alg orithms\, gambling... Indeed\, randomness seems indispensable! Which of th ese applications survive if the universe had no (accessible) randomness in it at all? Which of them survive if only poor quality randomness is avail able\, e.g. that arises from somewhat "unpredictable" phenomena like the w eather or the stock market?\\r\\nA computational theory of randomness\, de veloped in the past several decades\, reveals (perhaps counter-intuitively ) that very little is lost in such deterministic or weakly random worlds. In the talk I'll explain the main ideas and results of this theory\, notio ns of pseudo-randomness\, and connections to computational intractability. \\r\\nIt is interesting that Number Theory played an important role throug hout this development. It supplied problems whose algorithmic solution mak e randomness seem powerful\, problems for which randomness can be eliminat ed from such solutions\, and problems where the power of randomness remain s a major challenge for computational complexity theorists and mathematici ans. I will use these problems (and others) to demonstrate aspects of this theory.\\r\\nFor further information about the seminar\, please visit thi s webpage [https://www.ntwebseminar.org/]. X-ALT-DESC:

Is the universe inherently deterministic or probabilistic? Pe rhaps more importantly - can we tell the difference between the two?

\n

Humanity has pondered the meaning and utility of randomness for millenn ia.

\n

There is a remarkable variety of ways in which we utilize perf ect coin tosses to our advantage: in statistics\, cryptography\, game theo ry\, algorithms\, gambling... Indeed\, randomness seems indispensable! Whi ch of these applications survive if the universe had no (accessible) rando mness in it at all? Which of them survive if only poor quality randomness is available\, e.g. that arises from somewhat "unpredictable" phenomena li ke the weather or the stock market?

\n

A computational theory of rand omness\, developed in the past several decades\, reveals (perhaps counter- intuitively) that very little is lost in such deterministic or weakly rand om worlds. In the talk I'll explain the main ideas and results of this the ory\, notions of pseudo-randomness\, and connections to computational intr actability.

\n

It is interesting that Number Theory played an importa nt role throughout this development. It supplied problems whose algorithmi c solution make randomness seem powerful\, problems for which randomness c an be eliminated from such solutions\, and problems where the power of ran domness remains a major challenge for computational complexity theorists a nd mathematicians. I will use these problems (and others) to demonstrate a spects of this theory.

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For further information about the seminar\, please visit this webpage.

DTEND;TZID=Europe/Zurich:20211111T180000 END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR