Kombinatorik ist heute das wissenschaftliche Fundament vieler Disziplinen – von Stochastik, Informationstheorie und den Computerwissenschaften bis hin zur statistischen Physik. Die analytische Kombinatorik zielt darauf ab, präzise Vorhersagen für die Eigenschaften komplizierter kombinatorischer Strukturen zu finden. Professor Robert Sedgewick von der Universität Princeton gilt als eine der weltweit führenden Kapazitäten auf diesem Gebiet. Am 21. Mai 2013 hält er einen Vortrag an der TU Wien.

"If You Can Specify It, You Can Analyze It" ---The Lasting Legacy of Philippe Flajolet
Robert Sedgewick (Princeton University, USA)
21. Mai 2013, 16:00
Festsaal der TU Wien

Robert Sedgewick ist William O. Baker Professor am Department of Computer Science an der Princeton University. Er hat fundamentale Beiträge zur Analyse von Algorithmen geleistet. Seine Bücher "Algorithms in C++" (etc.) und "Analytic Combinatorics", das er gemeinsam mit Philippe Flajolet verfasst hat, sind Standardwerke in der Literatur. Seit vielen Jahren ist er auch im Adobe Board of Directors.

Abstract
The "Flajolet School" of the analysis of algorithms and combinatorial structures is centered on an effective calculus, known as analytic combinatorics, for the development of mathematical models that are sufficiently accurate and precise that they can be validated through scientific experimentation. It is based on the generating function as the central object of study, first as a formal object that can translate a specification into mathematical equations, then as an analytic object whose properties as a function in the complex plane yield the desired quantitative results.
Universal laws of sweeping generality can be proven within the framework, and easily applied. Standing on the shoulders of Cauchy, Polya, de Bruijn, Knuth, and many others, Philippe Flajolet and scores of collaborators developed this theory and demonstrated its effectiveness in a broad range of scientific applications. Flajolet's legacy is a vibrant field of research that holds the key not just to understanding the properties of algorithms and data structures, but also to understanding the properties of discrete structures that arise as models in all fields of science. This talk will survey Flajolet's story and its implications for future research.