Optimal mass transportation can be traced back to Gaspard Monge’s famous paper of 1781: "Mémoire sur la théorie des déblais et de remblais". The problem is to minimize the cost of transporting a given distribution of mass from one location to another. Since then, it has become a classical subject in probability theory, economics and optimization. This introductory presentation aims to familiarize the audience with this topic and some of its applications.

The Science Café series is organized by the Faculty of Science at Carleton University to discuss relevant issues facing our society and how science can help solve real-world problems. Meet some of our award-winning faculty members and graduate students as they share their excitement about science with the community.