Profs and Pints Online presents: “Survival Through Math,” an introduction to game theory as a tool for navigating crises, with Anna Weltman, former graduate instructor at the University of California at Berkeley and author of Supermath: The Power of Mathematics For Good and Evil.

Tic Tac Toe. Checkers. The COVID-19 pandemic. No, this is not a set-up for the game, “One of these things is not like the others.” It’s a list of games—mathematically speaking.

In mathematics, a game is simply a situation in which at least two parties compete for the best outcome. To play, players make choices, and such choices—and the cascade of events that follows them—result in one player winning and another losing. Players look to mathematics for a strategy that gives them an edge, and the branch of mathematics known as game theory helps us make sense of our chances of winning, losing, or falling somewhere in the messy in-between.

In a time of pandemic, game theory can help us make choices to minimize our health risks.

Join Anna Weltman, the author of Supermath, for an exploration of modern applications of game theory and a look at how mathematicians try to solve “games” as trivial as checkers or as deadly serious as war.

We’ll explore game solutions mathematically and from a human perspective, looking at what it means to real people when mathematicians approach their struggles through the lens of game theory. We’ll learn how the more real the game, the more the search for a solution can be sidetracked by a mathematician’s worst enemy, faulty assumptions.

In a time of heightened risk to both our physical and financial health, you’ll emerge better equipped to make sound decisions. (Ticket: $12. This talk will remain available in recorded form.)

Profs & Pints Online: Survival Through Math