ECS 289f Fall 2011 - Finite Model Theory and Descriptive Complexity

Instructor

Prof. Todd J. Green
green at cs dot ucdavis dot edu
Office Hours: Tuesdays 11:00-11:50am, 3055 Kemper Hall

Meeting times

Class mailing list

Textbook

Elements of Finite Model Theory, Leonid Libkin, Springer, 2004.
A copy is available on reserve at Shields Library. Another useful resource is Libkin's PODS 09 tutorial which covers the subject from an applied perspective.

Course Overview

Introduction to finite model theory and descriptive complexity with applications to database theory. Topics include (some subset of): first-order logic on finite structures; connections with database query languages; Trakhtenbrot's Theorem; Ehrenfeucht-Fraïssé Games; Hanf and Gaifman Locality; ∃SO and Fagin's Theorem; fixed-point logics and the Immerman-Vardi Theorem; Datalog; 0-1 Laws; and infinitary logics.

Class Schedule