Teaching


General Information

This page provides an overview of the courses offered by our working group:

Under Lectures you will find the lectures for mathematics students offered by our working group in the current or upcoming semester. If you would like to participate in a seminar, proseminar or reading course during the semester, please register with the respective supervisor or in the URM. Dates will then be set in consultation with the participants. Additionally, we offer introductory courses for new students and math lectures designed for students from other disciplines.

Several times a semester, the working group meets for the Oberseminar. All interested people are invited to attend the talks, students in particular.

If you are interested in doing your bachelor's or master's thesis in optimization, please contact Prof. Schöbel, Prof. Krumke or Prof. Ruzika.

Near the end of each semester, you can also find the dates for oral examinations with members of the working group on this page.

Oral exams after the summer semester

All information regarding oral exams, in particular the dates for exams, can be found at the bottom of this page.

Oberseminar

Announcements of the talks in the Oberseminar


Offered courses

in the summer semester 2024

Pre-courses

Our working group offers the following pre-courses for new students:

Introductory course to mathematics for students of mathematics and computer science

Content

  • Support of new students of mathematics and computer science within the transition from school to university
  • Matching different educational backgrounds and refreshing some of the important fundamentals of the school subject
  • Introduction to the initially unfamiliar mathematical thinking and working methods as well as the abstract language and form of presentation of mathematics lectures at the university
  • Familiarization with the usual form of lecture and group exercise

Lecturer

Dr. Florentine Kämmerer

Dates

April 8th - April 19th, 2024

Materials

OpenOLAT

Further Information

You can find the latest information regarding the course, in particular concerning the registration, on its website.

This course is only offered in German.

Lectures

Our working group offers the following lectures for math students:

Linear and network optimization

Content

Problems in linear optimisation deal with the optimisation of linear objective functions in a polyhedral set. The methods make it possible to model and solve a large number of practical problems (e.g. in production planning or telecommunications). In particular, this part of the lecture delves into the following topics:

  • modelling with linear programs,
  • the fundamental theorem of linear programming,
  • duality, and
  • solving linear programs using the simplex and interior point methods.

Questions in the area of network optimisation work with a network or graph. An abundance of real-world problems (like route planning) can be modelled with the help of graphs. In this part of the lecture, classical questions on graphs will be introduced and theoretical concepts and algorithms for their resolution will be presented. In particular, the following topics shall be discussed:

  • spanning tree problems,
  • shortest path problems,
  • maximum flow problems, and
  • minimum cost flow problems.

Lecturers and staff

Prof. Dr. Anita Schöbel
Dr. Oliver Bachtler

Dates

Tuesday, 8:15-9:45 (48-208)
Thursday, 14:00-15:30 (48-208)

Tutorials

Registration and group assignments for the tutorials are handled by the URM.

Materials

OpenOLAT

Further Information

This course is only offered in German.

Integer Programming: Polyhedral Theory and Algorithms

Content

  • Modelling with integer programming,
  • Polyhedra and polytopes,
  • Complexity,
  • Formulations,
  • Connections between integer programming and polyhedral theory,
  • Integrality of polyhedra: unimodularity, total dual integrality,
  • Matchings,
  • Dynamic programming,
  • Relaxations,
  • Branch-and-Bound methods,
  • Cutting planes,
  • Column generation

Lecturer and staff

Prof. Dr. Sven Krumke
Dr. Sven Joachim Jäger
Simon Wirschem
Shai Michael Dimant

Dates

Tuesday, 8:15-9:45 (48-208)
Thursday, 8:15-9:45 (48-208)

Tutorials

Registration and group assignments for the tutorials are handled by the URM.

Materials

OpenOLAT


Graphs and Algorithms

Contents

This lecture introduces advanced concepts and algorithmic techniques for graph theoretic problems. Among the topics studied are:

  • graph colorings and coverings,
  • transitive hulls and irredundant kernels,
  • graph search techniques,
  • treewidth with algorithmic consequences, and
  • matchings.

 

 

Lecturer and staff

Prof. Dr. Sven Krumke
Daniel Eichhorn

Dates

Monday, 8:15-9:45 (48-208)
Wednesday, 10:00-11:30 (48-208)

Tutorials

Registration and group assignments for the tutorials are handled by the URM.

Materials

OpenOLAT


Mathematics of Quantum Computing: Fundamentals and Optimization Algorithms

Content

Quantum Computing is an emerging field, which deals with another, potentially more powerful model of computation, as compared to classical computing. The course provides an overview of the core mathematical ideas and concepts relevant for Quantum Computing and quantum algorithms, with a special emphasis on applications for Discrete Optimization. It is structured into two parts.

In the first part, we discuss the fundamentals: the mathematical
description of quantum bits (qubits), multi-qubit systems, and quantum
circuits. We illustrate these concepts and present a few key quantum
algorithms: Grover's search, Deutsch and Deutsch-Jozsa algorithms, and
Shor's factorization procedure.

The second part of the course mostly focuses on applications of
quantum computers for discrete optimization
. We discuss the adiabatic
theorem, quantum annealing, analog computing using netural atoms based
devices, and a few hybrid quantum-classical algorithms (such as Quantum
Approximate Optimization Algorithm, QAOA).

Lecturer and staff

Prof. Dr. Anita Schöbel
Dr. Alexey Bochkarev

Date

Tuesday, 10:00-11:30 (48-210)
Friday, 8:15-9:45 (48-210)

Exercises

Registration and group assignments for the tutorials are handled by the URM.

Materials

OpenOLAT

Introduction to Didactics of Mathematics

for Students of Teacher Training Programs

Content

The course "Introduction to the Didactics of Mathematics" is the first course in the field of didactics of mathematics and forms the basis for all further mathematics didactics courses. Among other things, the following topics are covered: Curriculum and educational standards, lesson planning, mathematical learning objectives, didactic analysis, teaching methods, learning phases and motivation, teaching and learning concepts and rules, practicing in mathematics lessons, open forms of teaching, problem solving in mathematics lessons, reasoning and proving, modeling, computer use.

 

Lecturer

Dr. Florentine Kämmerer

Date

Monday, 8:15 - 9:45 (48-582)

Materials

OpenOLAT

Further Information

Registration is handled by the URM.

Geometry

for Students of Teacher Training Programs

Content

In this course, which is specific to the teaching profession, a deeper understanding of geometric content that goes beyond school education is to be developed. The relevance to school mathematics should be recognisable, but we want to approach the various topics from a slightly different perspective.

We will deal with different subject areas and selected questions from the large field of geometry. Key points on the contents: Euclid and the "elements", axiomatic structure of geometry according to Hilbert, axiom systems and models, finite incidence geometries, symmetry, congruence maps, geometric aspects of linear maps (rotations, reflections, ... ), polyhedra, Platonic solids, Euler's polyhedron formula, geometry in linear and integer optimisation, Voronoi diagrams, location problems, special points and lines in triangles (Fermat point, nine-point circle, ...), Pythagorean triples, conic sections, insights into basic ideas and overview of other sub-areas of geometry (projective geometry, algebraic geometry, non-Euclidean geometries).

Lecturer

Dr. Florentine Kämmerer

Date

Friday, 10:15-11:45 (46-268)

Tutorials

Registration and group assignments for the tutorials are handled by the URM

Materials

OpenOLAT

Further Information

This course is only offered in German.


Elementarmathematik vom höheren Standpunkt

for Students of Teacher Training Programs

Inhalt

  • Erarbeitung eines vertieften, über die Schulbildung hinaus gehenden Verständnisses elementarmathematischer, teils schulmathematischer, Inhalte als solides Fundament für das weitere Lehramtsstudium
  • Behandlung unterschiedlicher Fragestellungen aus den Bereichen Zahlen, Kombinatorik, Wahrscheinlichkeitstheorie, Graphentheorie, lineare Algebra und Analysis

Lecturer

Dr. Florentine Kämmerer

Dates

Wednesday, 11:45-13:15 (48-538)

Materials

OpenOLAT

Registration

Registration via Email to florentine.kaemmerer(at)math.rptu.de.

 

 

Reading courses, seminars und proseminars

The following supplementing courses are offered by our working group:

Reading Course (Prof. Krumke)

Content

The aim is to gain a basic overview of current research topics. In this respect, the Reading Course prepares for a master's thesis in these subject areas.

Lecturer

Prof. Dr. Sven O. Krumke

Date

By arrangement.

If you are interested please send an e-mail to sven.krumke(at)math.rptu.de.


Reading Course (Prof. Ruzika)

Content

The aim is to gain a basic overview of current research topics. In this respect, the Reading Course prepares for a master's thesis in these subject areas.

Lecturer

Prof. Dr. Stefan Ruzika

Date

By arrangement.

If you are interested please send an e-mail to stefan.ruzika(at)math.rptu.de.


Seminar Mathematics and Mobility

Content

We want to deal with current research topics in the field of Mathematics and Mobility.

Lecturer and staff

Prof. Dr. Anita Schöbel
Sarah Roth
Reena Urban
Lena Dittrich

Dates

The seminar is planned as a compact event on the weekend of January 24/25. Depending on the number of presentations, it may only take place on Saturday. A preliminary meeting for the seminar will be held on October 23 at 12:00 in 14-420.

Further Information

KIS
URM

Proseminar Elementary Mathematics from a Higher Perspective

for Students of Teacher Training Programs

Content

  • Development of a deeper understanding of elementary mathematics, partly school mathematics, beyond school education, as a solid foundation for further teacher training studies.
  • Independent development and preparation of a mathematical topic given by the respective literature and turning it into a presentation.
  • Addressing of different questions from the areas of geometry, numbers, combinatorics, probability theory, graph theory, linear algebra and analysis.

Lecturer

Dr. Florentine Kämmerer

Date

Wednesday, 12:15-13:45 (48-538)

Material

OpenOlat

Further Information

Registration is handled by the URM.


Advanced Seminar

Content

In the Oberseminar (advanced seminar), members and guests of the working group will give talks on various topics of mathematical optimization. Guests are welcome at any time - even without prior registration. An announcement of each talk will be made in the news section of the website. (Look for entries starting with "Oberseminar".)

Lectures for students of other study programmes

The following courses are offered by our working group for students of other departments:

  • September 25th, 2024 (with Dr. Kämmerer and Prof. Dr. Fieker)

Registration for these exam dates takes place at the Dean's Office.

  • July 30th, 2024
  • August 13th, 2024
  • September 2nd, 2024
  • September 10th, 2024
  • October 16th, 2024
  • October 17th, 2024

  • August 22nd, 2024
  • September 10th, 2024
  • October 10th, 2024

General information

To register for examinations, please come to Julia Rheinheimer in the office of the Optimization group (building 14, room 455). Please bring your student ID with you.

On the left you will find a list of available examination dates.