Oriented matroids play the role of matrices in discrete geometry, when metrical properties, such as angles or distances, are neither required nor available. Thus they are of great use in such areas as graph theory, combinatorial optimization and convex geometry. The variety of applications corresponds to the variety of ways they can be defined. Each of these definitions corresponds to a differing data structure for an oriented matroid, and handling them requires computational support, best realised through a functional language. Haskell is used here, and, for the benefit of readers, the book includes a primer on it. The combination of concrete applications and computation, the profusion of illustrations, many in colour, and the large number of examples and exercises make this an ideal introductory text on the subject. It will also be valuable for self-study for mathematicians and computer scientists working in discrete and computational geometry.

First comprehensive, accessible account; second edition has expanded bibliography and a new appendix surveying recent research.

The Handbook of Discrete and Computational Geometry is intended as a reference book fully accessible to nonspecialists as well as specialists, covering all major aspects of both fields. The book offers the most important results and methods in discrete and computational geometry to those who use them in their work, both in the academic world—as researchers in mathematics and computer science—and in the professional world—as practitioners in fields as diverse as operations research, molecular biology, and robotics. Discrete geometry has contributed significantly to the growth of discrete mathematics in recent years. This has been fueled partly by the advent of powerful computers and by the recent explosion of activity in the relatively young field of computational geometry. This synthesis between discrete and computational geometry lies at the heart of this Handbook. A growing list of application fields includes combinatorial optimization, computer-aided design, computer graphics, crystallography, data analysis, error-correcting codes, geographic information systems, motion planning, operations research, pattern recognition, robotics, solid modeling, and tomography.

Unifies discrete and computational geometry by using forbidden patterns of points to characterize many of its problems.

Triangulations presents the first comprehensive treatment of the theory of secondary polytopes and related topics. The text discusses the geometric structure behind the algorithms and shows new emerging applications, including hundreds of illustrations, examples, and exercises.

Combining concepts from topology and algorithms, this book delivers what its title promises: an introduction to the field of computational topology. Starting with motivating problems in both mathematics and computer science and building up from classic topics in geometric and algebraic topology, the third part of the text advances to persistent homology. This point of view is critically important in turning a mostly theoretical field of mathematics into one that is relevant to a multitude of disciplines in the sciences and engineering. The main approach is the discovery of topology through algorithms. The book is ideal for teaching a graduate or advanced undergraduate course in computational topology, as it develops all the background of both the mathematical and algorithmic aspects of the subject from first principles. Thus the text could serve equally well in a course taught in a mathematics department or computer science department.