Monday, March 5, 2018 3:30 pm
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3:30 pm
EST (GMT -05:00)
Nick Rollick, Department of Pure Mathematics, University of Waterloo
"Mistakes don't matter: Getting the message without getting the message"
Have you ever wondered why a scratched CD still plays properly? Or why you receive e-mails without transmission errors? It's all thanks to some clever math! In this talk, you will see the coolest-ever application of reduced row echelon form. You will also learn how basic facts about polynomials over finite fields lead to an efficient error-correcting procedure. These so-called Reed-Solomon codes are used in everything from CDs to bar codes... If someone ever asks you what pure math is good for, now you'll have a satisfying answer!
MC 5501