A quick talk I gave on some interesting math problems relating to mate selection. Covered here: http://blog.whitetruffle.com/post/43095217776/applying-classic-algorithms-to-mate-selection Here's the paper on mate selection that includes the Secreatary Problem expected outcome graph: http://www.lscp.net/persons/ramus/fr/GDP1/papers/Miller98.pdf And a little interactive resource on the Stable Marriage Problem that I used to illustrate the importance of initiative: http://mathsite.math.berkeley.edu/smp/smp.html

1. Mathematics and
Mate Selection
Mate Selection
a delightfully absurd juxtaposition

2. All Models are Wrong,
but some are Useful
(no promises about these)

3. Two Lenses
• Optimal Stopping:
The Secretary Problem
• Assignment:
The Stable Marriage Problem

4. The Secretary Problem

5. The Secretary Problem
• ~37% Picks best candidate
• ~26% Picks someone else
• ~37% Skips over the best candidate and
exhausts the pool

7. The Secretary Problem
• Lessons?

8. The Stable Marriage Problem

9. The Stable Marriage Problem
Lloyd Shapley Alvin Roth

10. The Stable Marriage Problem
• Guaranteed to be at least one stable
matching set - often many
• Initiative matters

11. The Stable Marriage Problem

12. The Stable Marriage Problem
• Pretty neat
• But information is limited

13. Crazy?
Vision of the Future
Vision of the Future