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Eric Jaimes

{\it Push-Button Locks and Generating Functions}
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I am interested in applied problems in the area of combinatorics. In particular, I have been discussing with Professor Jennifer Quinn the idea of looking at combinatorial problems associated with push-button locks. To begin with, I would look at how to count the number of possible combinations there are for a simple push-button lock, say with three buttons. Professor Quinn has given me papers by A.~Benjamin and D.~Velleman \& G.~Call which deal with the more general problem of $n$ push-button locks. To understand these papers, I need to learn about generating functions which are used to help find the solution to the $n$ push-button lock problem.

I would like to work with Professor Jennifer Quinn since we have already been discussing this problem in some depth.