Spring 2006 One Page Flyer

SySc 512: Quantitative Methods of Systems Science

An introduction to the quantitative representation and investigation of systems with a focus that emphasizes tools more than applications. Topics include linear dynamics, optimization, and uncertainty. The level of presentation assumes familiarity and facility with calculus. Notions from linear algebra unify the topics and those notions will be presented. Required course work includes both calculations to be done on a computer (MATLAB or Octave will suffice) and calculations to be done by hand.

SySc 527/627: Discrete System Simulation

The mathematical basis for discrete system simulation (DSS) is probability theory and queuing theory. It is used extensively in the fields of operations research, civil engineering, industrial engineering, systems analysis, etc. Students learn how to use DSS to model systems of interest.

SySc 553/653: Manufacturing System Simulation

The course focuses on using the ProModel discrete event simulation software to model manufacturing systems. Concepts include: a) overview of discrete system simulation and manufacturing simulation, b) data collection and prob. distributions, c) modeling material handling systems, d) job shop and production planning applications, and e) experimental design and output analysis. Relevant aspects of ProModel are also covered: locations, entities, processing logic, arrivals, path networks, resources, etc.

The course is designed to be of interest to students in Business, Engineering Management, Systems Science, Systems Engineering, and other programs; and to professionals in manufacturing, manufacturing engineering, and industrial engineering.

SySc 552/652: Game Theory

Game theory involves the study of cooperation and competition, without regard to the particular entities involved, and issues of rationality associated with such phenomena. The course presents the basic ideas of game theory, especially those concerning (a) 2-person zero-sum games, which the theory solves, and (b) 2- (or nequivalent-) person nonzero-sum games, which have no general solution and which often exhibit paradoxical features. Of particular substantive interest are dilemmas of collective action, which characterize many social, economic, and political problems. Of particular methodological interest are simulation techniques used to extend game-theory into domains where analytical results are impossible.

Also covered are (c) 2-person cooperative games (bargaining & arbitration), which have alternative plausible solutions; (d) coalition theory (nnon-equivalent-person games), in which analysis is complex and limited; and (e) social choice theory, which reveals the difficulties in integrating individual preferences into collective decisions. Emphasis in the course is on the findings of game theory, especially as they apply to the social sciences, rather than on the purely technical aspects of the theory.