Maxson Lecture Series

Date: September 25, 2019

Time: 4:00PM - 5:00PM

Location: BLOC 117

Speaker: David A. Cox, Amherst College

Title: Maxson Lecture #1: Moment Maps of Toric Varieties, Linear Precision, and Maximum Likelihood Degree One

Abstract: I will begin with a question about the moment maps of toric varieties (from symplectic geometry). To get some preliminary insight, I will relate this question to the concept of strict linear precision (from geometric modeling). However, the best result so far uses a result of June Huh on maximum likelihood degree one (from algebraic statistics). I will also discuss the more general notion of rational linear precision and pose some open problems. This is joint work with Patrick Clarke of Drexel University.