"I will discuss some of the mathematics behind the card game Set. The main question we'll study is how many cards we need to guarantee that we have a 'set'. I'll introduce the game and reformulate this question mathematically. The mathematical background needed is the ability to solve two equations in two unknowns, and the willingness to believe that 1+2=0."

Professor Maclagan grew up and went to college in New Zealand. She came to Rutgers after graduate school at Berkeley and postdocs on both coasts. This talk is the result of way too many hours spent playing Set instead of doing homework her first year of graduate school.

The talk itself will be from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m., but students are encouraged to arrive at 6:15 for an opportunity to meet other students who are interested in mathematics.