In Fall 2018, the Math department will be offering MATH 3094 Combinatorics of Coxeter Groups. Economics majors have taken this class in the past, and it carries honors credit! The course description is below:
A Coxeter group is a collection of \symmetries" that have properties similar to mirror
re ections. The theory of Coxeter groups is a fundamental and active area of research,
with a beautiful interplay of algebraic, combinatorial, and geometric ideas. The symmetric
group, i.e., permutations of n objects, is one of the most basic examples; many facts about
its structure have interesting generalizations to more general Coxeter groups.
This course will provide a gentle introduction to the theory of re ection groups and Coxeter
groups from a combinatorial point of view. We will review necessary background from linear
algebra and group theory and apply them to topics such as root systems, Bruhat order,
reduced words, and classi cations of nite re ection groups. While the course is primarily
targeted at mathematics students, the subject matter would be of interest (and possible use)
in the natural sciences.
After the basic material is covered, we will draw some connections to current research topics
in algebraic combinatorics.
Prerequisites: MATH 2710 or MATH 2141Q, Advanced Calculus or CSE 2500. Enrollment requires instructor permission.
For more information, contact: Emily Gunawan at emily.gunawan@uconn.edu