The mathematical structure of theories of resource convertibility

In our industrialized world, we deal with resources and conversions between resources on a daily basis. For example, one can consider collections of chemical molecules as resources, and chemical reactions like 2H_2 + O_2 --> 2 H_2O as conversions between these. In this talk, I will introduce the mathematical definition of what constitutes a theory of resource convertibility, and illustrate which kinds of theorems can be proved in complete generality. There are also some lessons to be learnt on the rôle that ordered structures play in algebra.