UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA IN HUNTSVILLE MATHEMATICAL SCIENCES COLLOQUIUM

Dr. Paul Dreyer
The Mathematics of Game Show               

Abstract:
Many game shows have a rich mathematical foundation, drawing upon topics in probability, game theory, and decision theory. This talk will describe the mathematics behind a number of shows, including The Wall, Million Second Quiz, and Spin the Wheel. Attendees will also have opportunities to win cash and prizes, because what good is a game show without prizes

Bio:
Paul Dreyer is a senior mathematician at the RAND Corporation specializing in modeling and simulation, using these tools on a wide variety of financial, military, energy, and security issues. His recent work has concentrated on financial markets, weapon effectiveness, aircraft survivability, and how airbases operate while under attack. Dreyer has been a professor of public policy at the Pardee RAND Graduate School, teaching courses on mathematics in policy analysis and large-scale optimization, as well as a lecturer at UCLA in their Electrical Engineering and Financial Engineering departments. In his spare time, he has consulted on over twenty game shows including The Wall and Press Your Luck. He is also the president of the American Regions Mathematics League, a national math contest for middle and high school students, as well as one of its authors. He has worked at the National Security Agency, the IDA Center for Computing Sciences, and Jane Street Capital. Dr. Dreyer received his Ph.D. in mathematics from Rutgers University.