This gradual, systematic introduction to the main concepts of combinatorics is the ideal text for advanced undergraduate and early graduate courses in this subject. Each of the book's three sections--Existence, Enumeration, and Construction--begins with a simply stated first principle, which is then developed step by step until it leads to one of the three major achievements of combinatorics: Van der Waerden's theorem on arithmetic progressions, Polya's graph enumeration formula, and Leech's 24-dimensional lattice. Along the way, Professor Martin J. Erickson introduces fundamental results, discusses interconnection and problem-solving techniques, and collects and disseminates open problems that raise new and innovative questions and observations. His carefully chosen end-of-chapter exercises demonstrate the applicability of combinatorial methods to a wide variety of problems, including many drawn from the William Lowell Putnam Mathematical Competition. Many important combinatorial methods are revisited several times in the course of the text--in exercises and examples as well as theorems and proofs. This repetition enables students to build confidence and reinforce their understanding of complex material. Mathematicians, statisticians, and computer scientists profit greatly from a solid foundation in combinatorics. Introduction to Combinatorics builds that foundation in an orderly, methodical, and highly accessible manner.

What Is Combinatorics Anyway? Broadly speaking, combinatorics is the branch of mathematics dealing with different ways of selecting objects from a set or arranging objects. It tries to answer two major kinds of questions, namely, counting questions: how many ways can a selection or arrangement be chosen with a particular set of properties; and structural questions: does there exist a selection or arrangement of objects with a particular set of properties? The authors have presented a text for students at all levels of preparation. For some, this will be the first course where the students see several real proofs. Others will have a good background in linear algebra, will have completed the calculus stream, and will have started abstract algebra. The text starts by briefly discussing several examples of typical combinatorial problems to give the reader a better idea of what the subject covers. The next chapters explore enumerative ideas and also probability. It then moves on to enumerative functions and the relations between them, and generating functions and recurrences., Important families of functions, or numbers and then theorems are presented. Brief introductions to computer algebra and group theory come next. Structures of particular interest in combinatorics: posets, graphs, codes, Latin squares, and experimental designs follow. The authors conclude with further discussion of the interaction between linear algebra and combinatorics. Features Two new chapters on probability and posets. Numerous new illustrations, exercises, and problems. More examples on current technology use A thorough focus on accuracy Three appendices: sets, induction and proof techniques, vectors and matrices, and biographies with historical notes, Flexible use of MapleTM and MathematicaTM

Accessible to undergraduate students, Introduction to Combinatorics presents approaches for solving counting and structural questions. It looks at how many ways a selection or arrangement can be chosen with a specific set of properties and determines if a selection or arrangement of objects exists that has a particular set of properties. To give students a better idea of what the subject covers, the authors first discuss several examples of typical combinatorial problems. They also provide basic information on sets, proof techniques, enumeration, and graph theory—topics that appear frequently throughout the book. The next few chapters explore enumerative ideas, including the pigeonhole principle and inclusion/exclusion. The text then covers enumerative functions and the relations between them. It describes generating functions and recurrences, important families of functions, and the theorems of Pólya and Redfield. The authors also present introductions to computer algebra and group theory, before considering structures of particular interest in combinatorics: graphs, codes, Latin squares, and experimental designs. The last chapter further illustrates the interaction between linear algebra and combinatorics. Exercises and problems of varying levels of difficulty are included at the end of each chapter. Ideal for undergraduate students in mathematics taking an introductory course in combinatorics, this text explores the different ways of arranging objects and selecting objects from a set. It clearly explains how to solve the various problems that arise in this branch of mathematics.

The growth in digital devices, which require discrete formulation of problems, has revitalized the role of combinatorics, making it indispensable to computer science. Furthermore, the challenges of new technologies have led to its use in industrial processes, communications systems, electrical networks, organic chemical identification, coding theory, economics, and more. With a unique approach, Introduction to Combinatorics builds a foundation for problem-solving in any of these fields. Although combinatorics deals with finite collections of discrete objects, and as such differs from continuous mathematics, the two areas do interact. The author, therefore, does not hesitate to use methods drawn from continuous mathematics, and in fact shows readers the relevance of abstract, pure mathematics to real-world problems. The author has structured his chapters around concrete problems, and as he illustrates the solutions, the underlying theory emerges. His focus is on counting problems, beginning with the very straightforward and ending with the complicated problem of counting the number of different graphs with a given number of vertices. Its clear, accessible style and detailed solutions to many of the exercises, from routine to challenging, provided at the end of the book make Introduction to Combinatorics ideal for self-study as well as for structured coursework.

This book offers an introduction to some combinatorial (also, set-theoretical) approaches and methods in geometry of the Euclidean space Rm. The topics discussed in the manuscript are due to the field of combinatorial and convex geometry. The author’s primary intention is to discuss those themes of Euclidean geometry which might be of interest to a sufficiently wide audience of potential readers. Accordingly, the material is explained in a simple and elementary form completely accessible to the college and university students. At the same time, the author reveals profound interactions between various facts and statements from different areas of mathematics: the theory of convex sets, finite and infinite combinatorics, graph theory, measure theory, classical number theory, etc. All chapters (and also the five Appendices) end with a number of exercises. These provide the reader with some additional information about topics considered in the main text of this book. Naturally, the exercises vary in their difficulty. Among them there are almost trivial, standard, nontrivial, rather difficult, and difficult. As a rule, more difficult exercises are marked by asterisks and are provided with necessary hints. The material presented is based on the lecture course given by the author. The choice of material serves to demonstrate the unity of mathematics and variety of unexpected interrelations between distinct mathematical branches.

A mathematical gem–freshly cleaned and polished This book is intended to be used as the text for a first course in combinatorics. the text has been shaped by two goals, namely, to make complex mathematics accessible to students with a wide range of abilities, interests, and motivations; and to create a pedagogical tool, useful to the broad spectrum of instructors who bring a variety of perspectives and expectations to such a course. Features retained from the first edition: Lively and engaging writing style Timely and appropriate examples Numerous well-chosen exercises Flexible modular format Optional sections and appendices Highlights of Second Edition enhancements: Smoothed and polished exposition, with a sharpened focus on key ideas Expanded discussion of linear codes New optional section on algorithms Greatly expanded hints and answers section Many new exercises and examples

In the winter of 1978, Professor George P61ya and I jointly taught Stanford University's introductory combinatorics course. This was a great opportunity for me, as I had known of Professor P61ya since having read his classic book, How to Solve It, as a teenager. Working with P6lya, who ·was over ninety years old at the time, was every bit as rewarding as I had hoped it would be. His creativity, intelligence, warmth and generosity of spirit, and wonderful gift for teaching continue to be an inspiration to me. Combinatorics is one of the branches of mathematics that play a crucial role in computer sCience, since digital computers manipulate discrete, finite objects. Combinatorics impinges on computing in two ways. First, the properties of graphs and other combinatorial objects lead directly to algorithms for solving graph-theoretic problems, which have widespread application in non-numerical as well as in numerical computing. Second, combinatorial methods provide many analytical tools that can be used for determining the worst-case and expected performance of computer algorithms. A knowledge of combinatorics will serve the computer scientist well. Combinatorics can be classified into three types: enumerative, eXistential, and constructive. Enumerative combinatorics deals with the counting of combinatorial objects. Existential combinatorics studies the existence or nonexistence of combinatorial configurations.

Combinatorics is mathematics of enumeration, existence, construction, and optimization questions concerning finite sets. This text focuses on the first three types of questions and covers basic counting and existence principles, distributions, generating functions, recurrence relations, Pólya theory, combinatorial designs, error correcting codes, partially ordered sets, and selected applications to graph theory including the enumeration of trees, the chromatic polynomial, and introductory Ramsey theory. The only prerequisites are single-variable calculus and familiarity with sets and basic proof techniques. The text emphasizes the brands of thinking that are characteristic of combinatorics: bijective and combinatorial proofs, recursive analysis, and counting problem classification. It is flexible enough to be used for undergraduate courses in combinatorics, second courses in discrete mathematics, introductory graduate courses in applied mathematics programs, as well as for independent study or reading courses. What makes this text a guided tour are the approximately 350 reading questions spread throughout its eight chapters. These questions provide checkpoints for learning and prepare the reader for the end-of-section exercises of which there are over 470. Most sections conclude with Travel Notes that add color to the material of the section via anecdotes, open problems, suggestions for further reading, and biographical information about mathematicians involved in the discoveries.

A ``hands-on'' constructive and computational approach to combinatorial topics with real-life modern applications. Provides a simple treatment of the subject. Introduces topics such as counting, designs and graphs. The notation is standard and kept to a minimum. Chapters end with historical remarks and suggestions for further reading.

COMBINATORIAL REASONING Showcases the interdisciplinary aspects of combinatorics and illustrates how to problem solve with a multitude of exercises Written by two well-known scholars in the field, Combinatorial Reasoning: An Introduction to the Art of Counting presents a clear and comprehensive introduction to the concepts and methodology of beginning combinatorics. Focusing on modern techniques and applications, the book develops a variety of effective approaches to solving counting problems. Balancing abstract ideas with specific topical coverage, the book utilizes real-world examples with problems ranging from basic calculations that are designed to develop fundamental concepts to more challenging exercises that allow for a deeper exploration of complex combinatorial situations. Simple cases are treated first before moving on to general and more advanced cases. Additional features of the book include: Approximately 700 carefully structured problems designed for readers at multiple levels, many with hints and/or short answers Numerous examples that illustrate problem solving using both combinatorial reasoning and sophisticated algorithmic methods A novel approach to the study of recurrence sequences, which simplifies many proofs and calculations Concrete examples and diagrams interspersed throughout to further aid comprehension of abstract concepts A chapter-by-chapter review to clarify the most crucial concepts covered Combinatorial Reasoning: An Introduction to the Art of Counting is an excellent textbook for upper-undergraduate and beginning graduate-level courses on introductory combinatorics and discrete mathematics.