School of Computer Science
University of Birmingham
Monday, 15 May 2017, 12:30 (note the unusual weekday and time!)
Cybernetica Bldg (Akadeemia tee 21B), room CYB-101
Abstract: Enumeration of graphs on surfaces (or "maps") is an active topic of research in combinatorics, with links to wide-ranging domains such as algebraic geometry, knot theory, and mathematical physics. In the last few years, it has also been found that map enumeration is related to the combinatorics of lambda calculus, with various well-known families of maps in 1-to-1 correspondence with various natural families of linear lambda terms. In the talk I will begin by giving a brief survey of these enumerative connections, then use those to motivate a closer look at the surprisingly rich topological and algebraic properties of linear lambda calculus.