Departmental Notes
Subject Code for Biomathematics: BIOM
Subject Code for Mathematics: MATH
Subject Code for Statistics: STAT
World Wide Web Address: www.queensu.ca/mathstat
Head of Department: Troy Day
Associate Head of Department: Andrew D. Lewis
Department Manager: Jeananne Vickery
Departmental Office: Jeffery Hall, Room 310
Departmental Telephone: 613-533-2390
Departmental Fax: 613-533-2964
Chair of Undergraduate Studies: Peter Taylor
Undergraduate Office E-Mail Address: mathstat@queensu.ca
Coordinator of Graduate Studies: Mike Roth
Chair for Engineering Mathematics: Serdar Yüskel
Overview
The Department of Mathematics and Statistics offers degree Plans designed to appeal to a broad range of students, including those interested in pure mathematics, applied mathematics, the physical and the biological sciences, teaching, actuarial studies (science), probability, and statistics. Our instructors include leading researchers and many winners of national and university teaching awards. The Department offers various plans in Mathematics and in Statistics, leading to either a BA, BA (Hons.), BSc or BSc (Hons.) degree. A Plan in Mathematics and Engineering is also offered through the Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science. For full details of this program, see the Calendar of the Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science.
Advice to Students
Actuarial Science
Students interested in actuarial science should refer to the Actuarial Focus described in the Mathematics Major Plan. Examinations set by the Society of Actuaries are each intended to cover a range of topics in an integrated fashion. The first few of these examinations deal mainly with mathematics and statistics, plus some topics from economics and business. The Queen’s courses listed in the Actuarial Focus will give students background in specific areas needed to prepare students for the Society of Actuaries examinations. Information about the examinations can be obtained from the Society of Actuaries.
Supporting Statistics Courses for Students in Other Disciplines
Students wishing to use statistics in their area of study should include in their degree plan at least 3.00 units beyond the introductory level.
Special Study Opportunities
Applied Mathematics Courses
Some applied mathematics (MTHE) courses designed for students in the Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science may also be open to students in the Faculty of Arts and Science. See the Department for details on registration in these courses.
Courses of Instruction in the School of Graduate Studies and Research
With the permission of the instructor, the Department and the Registrar of the School of Graduate Studies and Research, undergraduate students may take for credit graduate courses in MATH or STAT for which they have the prerequisite background. This permission will require a minimum GPA of 3.50 in the mathematics and statistics courses of the first three years of their programs. Course descriptions are given in the Calendar of the School of Graduate Studies and Research.
Faculty
- Selim G. Akl
- Fady Alajaji
- Thomas Barthelmé
- Gunnar Blohm
- Steven D. Blostein
- Oleg I. Bogoyavlenskij
- Francesco Cellarosi
- Bingshu E. Chen
- Troy Day
- Ivan Dimitrov
- Bahman Gharesifard
- Mark F. Green
- Martin Guay
- Wenyu Jiang
- Ernst Kani
- Boris Levit
- Andrew D. Lewis
- Ping Li
- Chunfang Devon Lin
- Tamás Linder
- Brian Ling
- Felicia Magpantay
- Abdol-Reza Mansouri
- Giusy Mazzone
- James McLellan
- James A. Mingo
- Charles Molson
- M. Ram Murty
- Dan Offin
- Charles Paquette
- Paul Y. Peng
- Catherine Pfaff
- Brad Rodgers
- Mike Roth
- Gregory G. Smith
- Yanglei Song
- Glen Takahara
- Peter Taylor
- Claude Tardif
- Dongsheng Tu
- David Wehlau
- Noriko Yui
- Serdar Yüksel
- Imed Zaguia
Specializations
Majors
Joint Honours
Generals/Minors
- Mathematics – General (Arts) – Bachelor of Arts
- Mathematics – General (Science) – Bachelor of Science
- Mathematics – Minor (Arts)
- Mathematics – Minor (Science)
- Statistics – General (Arts) – Bachelor of Arts
- Statistics – General (Science) – Bachelor of Science
- Statistics – Minor (Arts)
- Statistics – Minor (Science)
Courses
Biological Mathematics (BIOM)
Modeling will be presented in the context of biological examples drawn from ecology and evolution, including life history evolution, sexual selection, evolutionary epidemiology and medicine, and ecological interactions. Techniques will be drawn from dynamical systems, probability, optimization, and game theory with emphasis put on how to formulate and analyze models.
Mathematics (MATH)
For students intending a medial or major concentration in Mathematics or Statistics. Provides a thorough introduction to linear algebra up to and including eigenvalues and eigenvectors.
An introduction to matrices and linear algebra. Emphasis on applications to biological and economic systems and to computer applications. Topics covered will include systems of equations, eigenvalues, recursions, orthogonality, regression analysis, and geometric transformations.
A brief introduction to matrix algebra, linear algebra, and applications. Topics include systems of linear equations, matrix algebra, determinants, the vector spaces Rn and their subspaces, bases, co-ordinates, orthogonalization, linear transformations, eigenvectors, diagonalization of symmetric matrices, quadratic forms.
A thorough discussion of calculus, including limits, continuity, differentiation, integration, multivariable differential calculus, and sequences and series.
Differentiation and integration with applications to biology, physics, chemistry, economics, and social sciences; differential equations; multivariable differential calculus.
NOTE Also offered online. Consult Arts and Science Online. Learning Hours may vary.
NOTE Also offered at the Bader International Study Centre. Learning Hours may vary.
Differentiation and integration of elementary functions, with applications to physical and social sciences. Topics include limits, related rates, Taylor polynomials, and introductory techniques and applications of integration.
Topics include techniques of integration; differential equations, and multivariable differential calculus.
Differentiation and integration of the elementary functions with applications to the social sciences and economics; Taylor polynomials; multivariable differential calculus.
Integers, polynomials, modular arithmetic, rings, ideals, homomorphisms, quotient rings, division algorithm, greatest common divisors, Euclidean domains, unique factorization, fields, finite fields.
Algebraic techniques used in applied mathematics, statistics, computer science and other areas. Polynomials, complex numbers; least squares approximations; discrete linear systems; eigenvalue estimation; non-negative matrices - Markov chains; permutation groups; linear Diophantine equations; introduction to algebraic structures.
Vector spaces, direct sums, linear transformations, eigenvalues, eigenvectors, inner product spaces, self-adjoint operators, positive operators, singular-value decomposition, minimal polynomials, Jordan canonical form, the projection theorem, applications to approximation and optimization problems.
Double and triple integrals, including polar and spherical coordinates. Parameterized curves and line integrals. Gradient, divergence, and curl. Green's theorem. Parameterized surfaces and surface integrals. Stokes' and Gauss' Theorems.
An introduction to solving ordinary differential equations. Topics include first order differential equations, linear differential equations with constant coefficients, Laplace transforms, and systems of linear equations.
NOTE Some knowledge of linear algebra is assumed.
Complex arithmetic, complex plane. Differentiation, analytic functions. Elementary functions. Contour integration, Cauchy's Theorem, and Integral Formula. Taylor and Laurent series, residues with applications to evaluation of integrals.
An introduction to ordinary differential equations and their applications. Intended for students concentrating in Mathematics or Statistics.
An introductory course on the use of computers in science. Topics include: solving linear and nonlinear equations, interpolation, integration, and numerical solutions of ordinary differential equations. Extensive use is made of MATLAB, a high level interactive numerical package.
Limits, continuity, C¹ and linear approximations of functions of several variables. Multiple integrals and Jacobians. Line and surface integrals. The theorems of Green, Stokes, and Gauss.
Taylor's theorem, optimization, implicit and inverse function theorems. Elementary topology of Euclidean spaces. Sequences and series of numbers and functions. Pointwise and uniform convergence. Power series.
Permutation groups, matrix groups, abstract groups, subgroups, homomorphisms, cosets, quotient groups, group actions, Sylow theorems.
Congruences; Euler's theorem; continued fractions; prime numbers and their distribution; quadratic forms; Pell's equation; quadratic reciprocity; introduction to elliptic curves.
The symmetric group consists of all permutations of a finite set or equivalently all the bijections from the set to itself. This course explores how to map the symmetric group into a collection of invertible matrices. To handle, count, and manipulate these objects, appropriate combinatorial tools are introduced.
Complex numbers, analytic functions, harmonic functions, Cauchy's Theorem, Taylor and Laurent series, calculus of residues, Rouche's Theorem.
Metric spaces, topological spaces, compactness, completeness, contraction mappings, sequences and series of functions, uniform convergence, normed linear spaces, Hibert space.
Banach and Hilbert spaces of continuous- and discrete-time signals; spaces of continuous and not necessarily continuous signals; continuous-discrete Fourier transform; continuous-continuous Fourier transform; discrete-continuous Fourier transform; discrete-discrete Fourier transform; transform inversion using Fourier series and Fourier integrals.
Linear input/output systems and their stability. Frequency-domain and time-domain analysis. Continuous and discrete time-modeling. Fourier, Laplace, and Z-transforms. Sampling and the discrete-time Fourier transform. Application to modulation of communications signals, filter design, and digital sampling.
Some probability distributions, simulation, Markov chains, queuing theory, dynamic programming, inventory theory.
Methods and theory for ordinary and partial differential equations; separation of variables in rectangular and cylindrical coordinate systems; sinusoidal and Bessel orthogonal functions; the wave, diffusion, and Laplace's equation; Sturm-Liouville theory; Fourier transform.
This course highlights the usefulness of game theoretical approaches in solving problems in the natural sciences and economics. Basic ideas of game theory, including Nash equilibrium and mixed strategies; stability using approaches developed for the study of dynamical systems, including evolutionary stability and replicator dynamics; the emergence of co-operative behaviour; limitations of applying the theory to human behaviour.
Introductory geometry of curves/surfaces: directional/covariant derivative; differential forms; Frenet formulas; congruent curves; surfaces in R3: mappings, topology, intrinsic geometry; manifolds; Gaussian/mean curvature; geodesics, exponential map; Gauss-Bonnet Theorem; conjugate points; constant curvature surfaces.
A historical perspective on mathematical ideas focusing on a selection of important and accessible theorems. A project is required.
Elementary mathematical material will be used to explore different ways of discovering results and mastering concepts. Topics will come from number theory, geometry, analysis, probability theory, and linear algebra. Much class time will be used for problem solving and presentations by students.
Interest accumulation factors, annuities, amortization, sinking funds, bonds, yield rates, capital budgeting, contingent payments. Students will work mostly on their own; there will be a total of six survey lectures and six tests throughout the term, plus opportunity for individual help.
Measurement of mortality, life annuities, life insurance, premiums, reserves, cash values, population theory, multi-life functions, multiple-decrement functions. The classroom meetings will be primarily problem-solving sessions, based on assigned readings and problems.
Integers and rationals from the natural numbers; completing the rationals to the reals; consequences of completeness for sequences and calculus; extensions beyond rational numbers, real numbers, and complex numbers.
In-depth follow-up to high school geometry: striking new results/connections; analysis/proof of new/familiar results from various perspectives; extensions (projective geometry, e.g.); relation of classical unsolvable constructions to modern algebra; models/technology for geometric exploration.
An introduction to graph theory, one of the central disciplines of discrete mathematics. Topics include graphs, subgraphs, trees, connectivity, Euler tours, Hamiltonian cycles, matchings, independent sets, cliques, colourings, and planarity. Given jointly with MATH 801.
Enumerative combinatorics is concerned with counting the number of elements of a finite set. The techniques covered include inclusion-exclusion, bijective proofs, double-counting arguments, recurrence relations, and generating functions. Given jointly with MATH 802.
Construction and properties of finite fields. Polynomials, vector spaces, block codes over finite fields. Hamming distance and other code parameters. Bounds relating code parameters. Cyclic codes and their structure as ideals. Weight distribution. Special codes and their relation to designs and projective planes. Decoding algorithms.
An introduction to the study of systems of polynomial equations in one or many variables. Topics covered include the Hilbert basis theorem, the Nullstellenstaz, the dictionary between ideals and affine varieties, and projective geometry.
An introduction to Galois Theory and some of its applications.
Time estimates for arithmetic and elementary number theory algorithms (division algorithm, Euclidean algorithm, congruences), modular arithmetic, finite fields, quadratic residues. Simple cryptographic systems; public key, RSA. Primality and factoring: pseudoprimes, Pollard's rho-method, index calculus. Elliptic curve cryptography.
An exploration of the modern theory of Fourier series: Abel and Cesàro summability; Dirichlet's and Fejér's kernels; term by term differentiation and integration; infinite products; Bernoulli numbers; the Fourier transform; the inversion theorem; convolution of functions; the Plancherel theorem; and the Poisson summation theorem.
Topics include: global properties of flows and diffeomorphisms, Invariant sets and dynamics, Bifurcations of fixed and periodic points; stability and chaos. Examples will be selected by the instructor. Given jointly with MATH 827.
A generalization of linear algebra and calculus to infinite dimensional spaces. Now questions about continuity and completeness become crucial, and algebraic, topological, and analytical arguments need to be combined. We focus mainly on Hilbert spaces and the need for Functional Analysis will be motivated by its application to Quantum Mechanics.
Continuum mechanics lays the foundations for the study of the mechanical behavior of materials. After a review of vector and tensor analysis, the kinematics of continua are introduced. Conservation of mass, balance of momenta and energy are presented with the constitutive models. Applications are given in elasticity theory and fluid dynamics.
NOTE This is the MATH version of MTHE 433 in FEAS.
Theory of convex sets and functions; separation theorems; primal-duel properties; geometric treatment of optimization problems; algorithmic procedures for solving constrained optimization programs; engineering and economic applications.
Quasilinear equations: Cauchy problems, method of characteristics; Cauchy-Kovalevski theorem; generalized solutions; wave equation, Huygens' principle, conservation of energy, domain of dependence; Laplace equation, boundary value problems, potential theory, Green's functions; heat equation, maximum principle.
Subject matter to vary from year to year. Given jointly with MATH 837.
Geometric modeling, including configuration space, tangent bundle, kinetic energy, inertia, and force. Euler-Lagrange equations using affine connections. The last part of the course develops one of the following three applications: mechanical systems with nonholonomic constraints; control theory for mechanical systems; equilibria and stability.
Topics include: information measures, entropy, mutual information, modeling of information sources, lossless data compression, block encoding, variable-length encoding, Kraft inequality, fundamentals of channel coding, channel capacity, rate-distortion theory, lossy data compression, rate-distortion theorem. Given jointly with MATH 874.
Topics include: arithmetic coding, universal lossless coding, Lempel-Ziv and related dictionary based methods, rate distortion theory, scalar and vector quantization, predictive and transform coding, applications to speech and image coding.
An important topic in mathematics not covered in any other courses.
An important topic in mathematics not covered in any other courses.
Important topics in mathematics not covered in any other courses.
Statistics (STAT)
Basics of probability. Counting principle, binomial expansion. Conditional probability and Bayes' Theorem. Random variables, mean and variance. Bernoulli, binomial, geometric, hypergeometric and exponential distributions. Poisson approximation. Distribution, frequency and density functions. Normal distribution and central limit theorem.
NOTE STAT 252 is a new course for STAT Minors and Medials.
A basic course in statistical methods with the necessary probability included. Topics include probability models, random variables, distributions, estimation, hypothesis testing, elementary nonparametric methods.
NOTE Also offered online, consult Arts and Science Online (Learning Hours may vary).
Basic ideas of probability theory such as random experiments, probabilities, random variables, expected values, independent events, joint distributions, conditional expectations, moment generating functions. Main results of probability theory including Chebyshev's inequality, law of large numbers, central limit theorem. Introduction to statistical computing.
Basic techniques of statistical estimation such as best unbiased estimates, moment estimates, maximum likelihood. Bayesian methods. Hypotheses testing. Classical distributions such as the t-distribution, F-distribution, beta distribution. These methods will be illustrated by simple linear regression. Statistical computing.
Probability theory; probability models; random variables; jointly distributed random variables; transformations and generating functions. Inequalities and limit laws. Distributions: binomial, Poisson, exponential, gamma, normal. Applications: elementary stochastic processes, time-to-failure models, binary communication channels with Gaussian noise.
Intermediate probability theory as a basis for further study in mathematical statistics and stochastic processes; probability measures, expectations; modes of convergence of sequences of random variables; conditional expectations; independent systems of random variables; Gaussian systems; characteristic functions; Law of large numbers, Central limit theory; some notions of dependence.
A detailed study of simple and multiple linear regression, residuals and model adequacy. The least squares solution for the general linear regression model. Analysis of variance for regression and simple designed experiments; analysis of categorical data.
Introduction to R, data creation and manipulation, data import and export, scripts and functions, control flow, debugging and profiling, data visualization, statistical inference, Monte Carlo methods, decision trees, support vector machines, neural network, numerical methods.
Markov chains, birth and death processes, random walk problems, elementary renewal theory, Markov processes, Brownian motion and Poisson processes, queuing theory, branching processes. Given jointly with STAT 855.
An introduction to Bayesian analysis and decision theory; elements of decision theory; Bayesian point estimation, set estimation, and hypothesis testing; special priors; computations for Bayesian analysis. Given Jointly with STAT 856.
Introduction to the theory and application of statistical algorithms. Topics include classification, smoothing, model selection, optimization, sampling, supervised and unsupervised learning. Given jointly with STAT 857.
A working knowledge of the statistical software R is assumed. Classification; spline and smoothing spline; regularization, ridge regression, and Lasso; model selection; treed-based methods; resampling methods; importance sampling; Markov chain Monte Carlo; Metropolis-Hasting algorithm; Gibbs sampling; optimization. Given jointly with STAT 862.
Decision theory and Bayesian inference; principles of optimal statistical procedures; maximum likelihood principle; large sample theory for maximum likelihood estimates; principles of hypotheses testing and the Neyman-Pearson theory; generalized likelihood ratio tests; the chi-square, t, F and other distributions.
Autocorrelation and autocovariance, stationarity; ARIMA models; model identification and forecasting; spectral analysis. Applications to biological, physical and economic data.
An overview of the statistical and lean manufacturing tools and techniques used in the measurement and improvement of quality in business, government and industry today. Topics include management and planning tools, Six Sigma approach, statistical process charting, process capability analysis, measurement system analysis and factorial and fractional factorial design of experiments.
Introduction to the basic knowledge in programming, data management, and exploratory data analysis using SAS software: data manipulation and management; output delivery system; advanced text file generation, statistical procedures and data analysis, macro language, structure query language, and SAS applications in clinical trial, administrative financial data.
Simple random sampling; Unequal probability sampling; Stratified sampling; Cluster sampling; Multi-stage sampling; Analysis of variance and covariance; Block designs; Fractional factorial designs; Split-plot designs; Response surface methodology; Robust parameter designs for products and process improvement. Offered jointly with STAT 871.
An introduction to advanced regression methods for binary, categorical, and count data. Major topics include maximum-likelihood method, binomial and Poisson regression, contingency tables, log linear models, and random effect models. The generalized linear models will be discussed both in theory and in applications to real data from a variety of sources. Given jointly with STAT 873.
Introduces the theory and application of survival analysis: survival distributions and their applications, parametric and nonparametric methods, proportional hazards models, counting process and proportional hazards regression, planning and designing clinical trials. Given jointly with STAT 886.
An important topic in statistics not covered in any other courses.
An important topic in probability or statistics not covered in any other course.