About the Course

The Mathematics of Competitive Behavior

IBM founder Thomas J. Watson once said, “Business is a game—the greatest game in the world if you know how to play it.” In today’s global economy and the international political arena, the study of games and strategy continues to be a vital field for historians, economists, and politicians to explore. In this course, you will learn the principles of probability, statistics, and combinatorics, and how to apply them while making strategic decisions based on an opponent’s actions and reactions. You and your classmates will investigate the applications of these tools in game theory, learning how they have shaped historical events and how they are applied today in the fields of economics and politics. You will use your new knowledge to debate potential laws, model economic patterns, and reason through international policy decisions.

Note: Students who have taken CTY’s Probability and Game Theory or Game Theory and Economics should not take this course.

Typical Class Size: 16-18
 

Course Overview

Summer Dates & Locations

Registration deadline:

Session One

The Johns Hopkins University
-
Residential cost: $6,819
Commuter cost: $5,999

Session Two

The Johns Hopkins University
-
Residential cost: $6,819
Commuter cost: $5,999

Testing and Prerequisites

  Math Verbal
Required Level CTY-Level or CTY-Level
Check your eligibility using existing test scores If you do not have existing test scores:

Students must achieve qualifying scores on an advanced assessment to be eligible for CTY programs. If you don’t have qualifying scores, you have several different testing options. We’ll help you find the right option for your situation.

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Course Prerequisites

The Mathematics of Competitive Behavior requires:

1 prerequisite

At least a B in Algebra II

Cost and Financial Aid

  • Tuition
    • Varies
  • Application fee
    • Nonrefundable Application Fee - $50 (Waived for financial aid applicants)
    • Nonrefundable International Fee - $250 (outside US only)

Financial Aid

We have concluded our financial aid application review process for 2024 On-Campus Programs. We encourage those who may need assistance in the future to apply for aid as early as possible.

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Technical Requirements

Students must bring a tablet, laptop computer, or Chromebook for use during the session. A smartphone will not be sufficient.

About Mathematics at CTY

Explore the study of shapes

Many of our courses allow students to describe the world around them in basic and profound ways. Our younger students learn about shape, scale, and proportion in Geometry and Spatial Sense. Middle School students explore beautiful real-world applications of lines; analyze data based on curves that fit a uniform, symmetric and bell-shaped, or skewed pattern in Data and Chance. And advanced students explore the underlying mathematics and fundamental characteristics of shapes, distance, and continuous deformations in our proof-based Topology course.

Dive deep into logic and reasoning

Our courses in formal logic give you the tools to question the world around you. Inductive and Deductive Reasoning introduces younger students to different types of reasoning, as well as the strengths and weaknesses inherent in various forms of critical analysis. Older students explore how logical reasoning can explain (or fail to explain) counter-intuitive results in Paradoxes and Infinities, or take a more rigorous approach to formal logic in Mathematical Logic.

Meet our instructors and staff