SPEAKER: Alistair Savage (U. Ottawa)

We will discuss the widespread phenomenon of adjunction in mathematics. We will start by reviewing some basic concepts in linear algebra, including the transpose and adjoint of a linear map. Motivated by the idea of adjoint linear maps, we will then move to the land of categories. Categories abound in undergraduate mathematics. Vector spaces, groups, and rings can all be organized into categories. After defining categories and discussing familiar examples, we will explain what adjoint functors between categories are, by analogy with adjoint linear maps. We will end by exploring some concrete examples in the familiar settings of linear algebra, group theory, and ring theory.

The Department of Mathematics and Statistics would like to invite you to the Math Club. The Math Club is designed primarily for undergraduate students, however, graduate students are also welcome. During the Math Club we will have talks that promote mathematics, career talks and research talks suitable for the undergraduate students. Several professors as well as mathematicians working in the industry or the government accepted our invitation to deliver a talk.

Free food and drinks will be provided!

Come and join us! Learn more about mathematics - you will not learn this in the classroom!