Algebraic Statistics
Seth Sullivant · Graduate studies in mathematics · 2012
Algebraic statistics advocates polynomial algebra as a tool for addressing problems in statistics and its applications. This connection is based on the fact that most statistical models are defined either parametrically or implicitly via polynomial equations. The idea is summarized by the phrase "Statistical models are semialgebraic sets". My tutorial will consist of a detailed study of two examples where the algebra/statistics connection has proven especially useful: in the study of phylogenetic models and in the analysis of contingency tables.