Algorithms and Adversaries

3 Credits · Level: Undergraduate

How do you answer questions about massive data sets in real-time, while storing only a tiny fraction of the data? How can someone you don't trust convince you they know a secret, without revealing the secret to you? Is there a mathematical justification for the philosophical principle of Occam's razor? We will answer these questions (and others) using tools from theoretical computer science. We will focus on ideas that have made their way into practice, either because modern computer systems require handling huge amounts of data, or because they require operating in highly adversarial environments (such as public blockchains).