Graduate Student Colloquium: Stephen Bigelow (UCSB), 'Chaitin's constant'

Event Date: 

Thursday, November 8, 2012 - 3:30pm to 4:30pm

Event Location: 

  • 6635 South Hall

Roughly speaking, Chaitin's constant measures the probability that a random computer program will halt. It is an example of a real number that is provably impossible to calculate accurately. The proof unites and extends the revolutionary work of Godel and Turing. Now that we are all familiar with computers, we should have no trouble understanding these previously difficult ideas.