MIT Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Spring 2004 Catalogue Supplement

6.972 Game Theory and Equilibrium Analysis (H)

Professor Asuman Ozdaglar, Room 35-208, 4-0058, asuman@mit.edu
Prereq.: 18.100B, 6.041
3-0-9

This subject qualifies as a Communication, Control, and Signal Processing Concentration subject.

This course will focus on fundamentals of game theory and the theory of competitive equilibrium. Game theory is the study of strategic interactions between intelligent rational decision-makers, while competitive equilibrium analysis deals with decisions in large markets with limited strategic interactions. The course will place emphasis on proofs as well as foundations of the theory. It will develop all the mathematical tools necessary for game theory and equilibrium analysis, including basic convexity concepts, basic optimization theory, minimax/saddle point theory, and fixed point theorems. Using these tools, the course will present the standard approach to market equilibrium and study the central topics in game theory, including strategic form games, dynamic games, incomplete/imperfect information games, as well as various equilibrium and solution concepts. The course will also cover mechanism design and cooperative game theory. It will conclude with applications of many of these ideas to current research in wireline/wireless networks.