Mathematics 353 - ADV TOPICS DISCRETE APP MATH

Topics course. DNA and RNA can each be represented as a sequence of letters (nucleotides). Combinatorial properties of these sequences---the order of the letters, matchings between sequences or within a sequence---have important biological implications. This course will focus on these combinatorial properties, studying different kinds of permutation groups, their generators, and their Cayley graphs. Time permitting, we will also study noncrossing matchings and their relationship with permutation groups. We will emphasize applications to molecular biology, and will describe open questions. Prerequisites: 153 and 233 or permission of the instructor. No biology background needed.

Topic: Applied Algebraic Combinatorics.