Algorithmic Game Theory and its Applications (P00890)

? Credit Points : 10 ? SCQF Level : 11 ? Acronym : INF-P-AGTA

Game theory is the formal study of interaction between "self-interested" (or "goal-oriented") "systems" (or "agents" or "decision makers" or "players"), and the strategic scenarios that arise in such settings. It began life in Economics in the 1940's with the work of von Neumann and Morgenstern, but has since been applied to an extraordinary range of subjects, including political science, evolutionary biology, and even to inspection regimes for arms control.

Game theory has for years also played an important, if less recognized, role in several branches of computer science. Applications within computer science include the use of games in automated verification and model checking to model computing systems in an unknown and possibly adverse environment. In AI games are applied to the analysis of multi-agent systems. Recently, with the advent of the internet and e-commerce, many game theoretic questions in the interplay between economics and computing have received extensive attention. These include electronic auctions, and more generally mechanism design questions (inverse game theory) related to finding incentive structures for cooperation between independent entities on the internet.

Wherever game theory plays a quantitative role, algorithmic and computational questions related to "solving" games are also of central importance. This course aims to bring together as a coherent body of knowledge the game theoretic algorithms and models that underpin several flourishing subjects at the intersection of computer science, economics and e-commerce, and AI.

Entry Requirements

? Pre-requisites : Algorithms & Data Structures For Informatics PG students only, or by special permission of the School. A reasonably solid grounding in theoretical computer science and/or mathematics is assumed.

Subject Areas

Home subject area

Theoretical Computer Science, (School of Informatics, Schedule O)

Delivery Information

? Normal year taken : Postgraduate

? Delivery Period : Semester 2 (Blocks 3-4)

? Contact Teaching Time : 2 hour(s) per week for 10 weeks

First Class Information

Date	Start	End	Room	Area	Additional Information
07/01/2008	15:00	15:50			To Be Confirmed

All of the following classes

Type	Day	Start	End	Area
Lecture	Monday	15:00	15:50	Central
Lecture	Thursday	15:00	15:50	Central

Summary of Intended Learning Outcomes

The following learning outcomes are all to be demonstrated via a combination of coursework and the exam.
-Understanding of various models of games.
-How they are related, and how they arise in various applications in computer science and elsewhere.
-An understanding of linear programming and some of its broad applicability.
-An understanding of algorithms used to "solve" such games and their efficiency.
-Ability to model various scenarios as strategic games, and devise algorithms to solve them.
-An understanding of some of the aims of the current research frontier.
-Refinement of analytical skills.