Welcome to this course! Boolean function analysis is a powerful tool used to study discrete objects. It has many applications in both mathematics and computer science. In this course, we will introduce basic concepts and ideas in Boolean function analysis. Our main focus will be on Fourier analysis. We will also explore applications of Boolean function analysis in learning theory and pseudorandomness.
General Information:
Instructor: Jiapeng Zhang. ( jiapengz@usc.edu )
Time: Tu/Th 4:00 - 5:50 pm
Office hour: Th 2:00 - 3:45 pm (SAL 316)
Location: THH 110
Piazza: link.
Textbook:
We will use the book Analysis of Boolean functions by Ryan O'Donnell. It can be downloaded online, or purchased from Amazon.
Grading:
3 homework sets, each worth 20%. The homework can be done in a group of at most three students.
2 lecture notes, each worth 20%.
Resources and Other Courses:
Avishay Tal - Berkeley (2020)
Li-Yang Tan - Stanford (2018)
Shachar Lovett - UCSD (2017)
Ryan O'Donnell - CMU (2012)