18.S996 | Spring 2013 | Graduate

Category Theory for Scientists

Course Description

The goal of this class is to prove that category theory is a powerful language for understanding and formalizing common scientific models. The power of the language will be tested by its ability to penetrate into taken-for-granted ideas, either by exposing existing weaknesses or flaws in our understanding, or by …
The goal of this class is to prove that category theory is a powerful language for understanding and formalizing common scientific models. The power of the language will be tested by its ability to penetrate into taken-for-granted ideas, either by exposing existing weaknesses or flaws in our understanding, or by highlighting hidden commonalities across scientific fields.
Learning Resource Types
Projects with Examples
Online Textbook
Instructor Insights
A diagram with various thoughts written on shapes connected by arrows.
An example of an olog—an abstract means for categorizing the general properties of a system. In this example, the olog provides a conceptual understanding of the system of seat pricing on an airline. (Image by MIT OpenCourseWare.)