The study of games has lead to important, real-world applications. More modern board games such as monopoly, scrabble, rail games, and cosmic encounter will also be discussed. We will attempt to answer some interesting questions from sports such as why are there no .400 hitters anymore in baseball, or can Tiger Woods ever win the grand slam of golf. Computers have been programmed to play every popular game. We will learn how computers actually play games.
Computers are world champions at some games, but poor players at others.
Organized leagues for a particular game, usually have some method for rating or ranking players. In particular, chess, bridge, and go use three completely different methods. There will be a midterm and a final. Students should have a solid background in high school mathematics, and preferably an elementary knowledge of computer programming. No knowledge of any particular game is assumed.