# ESP Biography

## JOSH TALBOT, ESP Teacher

Major: Physics

College/Employer: MIT

Not Available.

## Past Classes

(Look at the class archive for more.)

Complex Numbers in HSSP Summer 2018 (Jun. 30, 2018)
Maybe you've heard of an imaginary number, but what is it really? And how can it make any sense? In this course, we will explore the theory, intuition and applications that come from the famous $$\sqrt{-1}$$. The course starts off with the history and construction of numbers. We then learn how to work with complex numbers leading up to some surprising results. At the end of the course, we look at advanced concepts like holomorphic functions and Riemann surfaces. So come join! Along the way, we will also touch upon other important topics in mathematics including group theory and algebra and look at cool, useful real-life engineering applications.

How to Win Games in Spark 2018 (Mar. 17 - 18, 2018)
We'll start off talking about simple games like Tic-Tac-Toe and discuss how to think about games and optimal strategies. Maybe later we'll talk about more complicated games like Nim and some non-deterministic games. The class will be a mixture of us talking about theory and students splitting into groups and playing games.

Mathematical Gems in Spark 2018 (Mar. 17 - 18, 2018)
Will present some simple unexpected and insightful results in math. Hopefully this will convince you that math can be beautiful.