Mathematics Graduate Students Organization

Seminar:

Date: September 6

The standard algorithm for multiplying nxn matrices uses n^3 scalar multiplications (and n^2(n-1) additions). In 1969 V. Strassen set out to prove the standard algorithm could not be improved upon. He failed, in fact he found a better algorithm, and this gave rise to a whole new area of theoretical computer science. I'll discuss how the question of "How fast can matrices be multiplied?" can be viewed as a question in geometry, and recent progress made using this perspective.