Schematic phase diagram for Boolean functions obtained using RG technique

1. Complex Properties of Disordered Quantum Systems, Susan Coppersmith, PI, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Award # DMR-0209630 The renormalization group (RG) is a theoretical technique used to characterize phase transitions in condensed matter systems. We have shown that RG theory can be applied to Boolean functions, and that this approach may yield new insight into important problems in computational complexity. We are using it to address the P versus NP problem, which asks whether functions that can be computed with polynomially bounded resources are easier to compute than those with answers that can be verified with polynomially bounded resources. Schematic phase diagram for Boolean functions obtained using RG technique

2. Complex Properties of Disordered Quantum Systems, Susan Coppersmith, PI, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Award # DMR-0209630 Education This grant supports Rebecca Metzler, a female graduate student. Outreach activities • Classroom visits and participation in Science Night at Glenn Stephens Elementary School, Madison, WI • Participation in Expanding Your Horizons, an outreach activity at UW-Madison promoting participation in science by middle school girls • Administrative support and liaison with the Peer Mentoring Tutoring Program at UW-Madison, which aims to improve understanding and performance of students with less-than-usual preparation for introductory physics courses