SCO Seminar - Alex Martinez Mendez, University of Groningen

Title: Essence of Independence

Abstract:

The concept of linear independence appears in many forms, including vector configurations in linear algebra, edges in graph theory, discrete optimization, matching, hyperplane arrangements, etc. Matroids provide a concept which not only axiomatizes these concepts of 'independence' into one single type of structure, but generalizes it and captures information in a combinatorial way which allows us to interpret it in a variety of ways. This talk will be an introduction to matroids and the variety of ways we can see them.