This volume considers resistance networks: large graphs which are connected, undirected, and weighted. Such networks provide a discrete model for physical processes in inhomogeneous media, including heat flow through perforated or porous media. These graphs also arise in data science, e.g., considering geometrizations of datasets, statistical inference, or the propagation of memes through social networks. Indeed, network analysis plays a crucial role in many other areas of data science and engineering. In these models, the weights on the edges may be understood as conductances, or as a measure of similarity. Resistance networks also arise in probability, as they correspond to a broad class of Markov chains.The present volume takes the nonstandard approach of analyzing resistance networks from the point of view of Hilbert space theory, where the inner product is defined in terms of Dirichlet energy. The resulting viewpoint emphasizes orthogonality over convexity and provides new insights into the connections between harmonic functions, operators, and boundary theory. Novel applications to mathematical physics are given, especially in regard to the question of self-adjointness of unbounded operators.New topics are covered in a host of areas accessible to multiple audiences, at both beginning and more advanced levels. This is accomplished by directly linking diverse applied questions to such key areas of mathematics as functional analysis, operator theory, harmonic analysis, optimization, approximation theory, and probability theory.

This volume contains the proceedings of the 2016 Summer School on Fractal Geometry and Complex Dimensions, in celebration of Michel L. Lapidus's 60th birthday, held from June 21-29, 2016, at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, California. The theme of the contributions is fractals and dynamics and content is split into four parts, centered around the following themes: Dimension gaps and the mass transfer principle, fractal strings and complex dimensions, Laplacians on fractal domains and SDEs with fractal noise, and aperiodic order (Delone sets and tilings).