This introduction to combinatorics, the foundation of the interaction between computer science and mathematics, is suitable for upper-level undergraduates and graduate students in engineering, science, and mathematics. The four-part treatment begins with a section on counting and listing that covers basic counting, functions, decision trees, and sieving methods. The following section addresses fundamental concepts in graph theory and a sampler of graph topics. The third part examines a variety of applications relevant to computer science and mathematics, including induction and recursion, sorting theory, and rooted plane trees. The final section, on generating functions, offers students a powerful tool for studying counting problems. Numerous exercises appear throughout the text, along with notes and references. The text concludes with solutions to odd-numbered exercises and to all appendix exercises.

Proceedings of a high-level conference on discrete mathematics, focusing on group actions in the areas of pure mathematics, applied mathematics, computer science, physics, and chemistry. A useful tool for researchers and graduate students in discrete mathematics and theoretical computer science.

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

Combinatorics, Second Edition is a well-rounded, general introduction to the subjects of enumerative, bijective, and algebraic combinatorics. The textbook emphasizes bijective proofs, which provide elegant solutions to counting problems by setting up one-to-one correspondences between two sets of combinatorial objects. The author has written the textbook to be accessible to readers without any prior background in abstract algebra or combinatorics. Part I of the second edition develops an array of mathematical tools to solve counting problems: basic counting rules, recursions, inclusion-exclusion techniques, generating functions, bijective proofs, and linear algebraic methods. These tools are used to analyze combinatorial structures such as words, permutations, subsets, functions, graphs, trees, lattice paths, and much more. Part II cover topics in algebraic combinatorics including group actions, permutation statistics, symmetric functions, and tableau combinatorics. This edition provides greater coverage of the use of ordinary and exponential generating functions as a problem-solving tool. Along with two new chapters, several new sections, and improved exposition throughout, the textbook is brimming with many examples and exercises of various levels of difficulty.

This is a concise, up-to-date introduction to extremal combinatorics for non-specialists. Strong emphasis is made on theorems with particularly elegant and informative proofs which may be called the gems of the theory. A wide spectrum of the most powerful combinatorial tools is presented, including methods of extremal set theory, the linear algebra method, the probabilistic method and fragments of Ramsey theory. A thorough discussion of recent applications to computer science illustrates the inherent usefulness of these methods.

This combinatorics text provides in-depth coverage of recurrences, generating functions, partitions, and permutations, along with some of the most interesting graph and network topics, design constructions, and finite geometries. It presents the computer and software algorithms in pseudo-code and incorporates definitions, theorems, proofs, examples, and nearly 300 illustrations as pedagogical elements of the exposition. Numerous problems, solutions, and hints reinforce basic skills and assist with creative problem solving. The author also offers a website with extensive graph theory informational resources as well as a computational engine to help with calculations for some of the exercises.

"T. 1. Graph Theory. 1. Ch. 1. Elements of Graph Theory. 3. Ch. 2. Covering Circuits and Graph Coloring. 53. Ch. 3. Trees and Searching. 95. Ch. 4. Network Algorithms. 129. Pt. 2. Enumeration. 167. Ch. 5. General Counting Methods for Arrangements and Selections. 169. Ch. 6. Generating Functions. 241. Ch. 7. Recurrence Relations. 273. Ch. 8. Inclusion-Exclusion. 309. Pt. 3. Additional Topics. 341. Ch. 9. Polya's Enumeration Formula. 343. Ch. 10. Games with Graphs. 371. . Appendix. 387. . Glossary of Counting and Graph Theory Terms. 403. . Bibliography. 407. . Solutions to Odd-Numbered Problems. 409. . Index. 441.