[FOM] Announcement: Lecture on phase transitions in logic and combinaorics

[Andreas Weierman]

To whom it may concern:

In the winter term 2007/8 I will give a specialized lecture on

phase transitions in logic and combinatorics

at the Department of Mathematics in Ghent starting in the last week of 
September (26/09/2007).

Topics:
subrecursive hierarchies along epsilon_0 and related phase transitions,
Hydra battles and Goodstein sequences and related phase transitions,
independence results in Ramsey theory (Paris Harrington, Kanamori 
McAloon) and related phase transitions,
Friedman style miniaturizations of Higman's Lemma and Kruskal's theorem 
and related phase transitions,
analytic combinatorics of epsilon_0 and related phase transitions.

The course might be of interest for math or CS students with interest in 
combinatorics and/or foundations
of mathematics. The course will be given in English.
I intend to include proofs for folklore results which are sometimes not 
available from
the literature. In Ghent the course is integrated into the Master of 
Mathematics and the Master in Mathematical
Computer Science programs of study.

(I will focus on connecting logical principles with fast growing 
functions and will not deal in detail
with proof-theoretic aspects. There will be a follow up course (in the 
term 2008/9) on proof theory where fast growing functions
are related to corresponding systems of arithmetic. This will establish 
missing links about unprovability issues.)

Best regards
Andreas Weiermann