Is there any intersection of EE and abstract mathematics?

Question

I'm a sophomore in Electrical Engineering and have a keen interest in abstract mathematics. As you know the mathematics taught in the first two years of engineering is nothing but more applied mathematics comprising of Fourier/Laplace/Z transforms, some linear algebra, numerical methods and probability.

I, on the other hand, am interested in pure mathematics. I try to study on my own whenever I get time from my engineering course. Its not that I dislike my EE course but I am more inclined towards pure mathematics.

Is there any intersection of the two, in which I can pursue my MS/further studies. Something which gives me a flavor of both? Sorry for the long post and if my question appears too vague. I'm hoping to get some guiding light from the esteemed members of this forum.

In 2010 IPAM (at UCLA) had a conference about "convex optimization and algebraic geometry". — littleO, Jan 23 '14 at 08:03
You could also read about Claude Shannon, whose career was defined by the intersection of EE and math. — mbeckish, Jan 14 '15 at 20:48

score 3 · Accepted Answer · answered Jan 23 '14 at 07:56

3

Some may define "pure" mathematics as those branches that do not have applications. Assuming you meant "mathematics not generally taught to EE majors", then here are some places to start:

Topology is being used for applications in signal processing and path finding for robotics.
Lie Algebras are being used to describe and control the movements of robotic joints.
Graph theory is used in object recognition and other methods of computer vision.

answered Jan 23 '14 at 07:56

Nathaniel Bubis

33,018

1

Algebraic topology is also used for sensor networks. See, for instance, Homological Sensor Networks by de Silva and Ghrist. – J W May 10 '14 at 16:17
See also Michael Robinson's recent book: Topological Signal Processing. – J W Jun 24 '14 at 19:44

Is there any intersection of EE and abstract mathematics?

1 Answers1