Olin Hall

Department of Mathematical SciencesDiscrete Math SeminarTuesday, September 16th, 20254:00PM-4:50PMOlin Hall 126Speaker: Jane Coons, WPITitle: Quasi-Independence Models with Rational Maximum Likelihood Estimator Abstract: Let X and Y be random variables. Quasi-independence models are log-linear models that describe a situation in which some states of X and Y cannot occur together, but X and Y are otherwise independent. We characterize which quasi-independence models have rational maximum likelihood estimator, or MLE, based on combinatorial features of the bipartite graph associated to the model. In this case, we give an explicit formula for the maximum likelihood estimate. We also give a substantial introduction to algebraic statistics, which will be accessible to advanced undergraduate students.