Combinatorics

This text provides a theoretical background for several topics in combinatorial mathematics, such as enumerative combinatorics (including partitions and Burnside's lemma), magic and Latin squares, graph theory, extremal combinatorics, mathematical games and elementary probability.

This book uses new mathematical tools to examine broad computability and complexity questions in enumerative combinatorics, with applications to other areas of mathematics, theoretical computer science, and physics. A focus on effective algorithms leads to the development of computer algebra software of use to researchers in these domains.

This textbook offers an accessible introduction to combinatorics, infused with Solomon Golomb’s insights and illustrative examples. Core concepts in combinatorics are presented with an engaging narrative that suits undergraduate study at any level. Featuring early coverage of the Principle of Inclusion-Exclusion and a unified treatment of permutations later on, the structure emphasizes the cohesive development of ideas. Combined with the conversational style, this approach is especially well suited to independent study.

This compact textbook consists of lecture notes given as a fourth-year undergraduate course of the mathematics degree at the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, including topics in enumerative combinatorics, finite geometry, and graph theory. This text covers a single-semester course and is aimed at advanced undergraduates and masters-level students. Each chapter is intended to be covered in 6-8 hours of classes, which includes time to solve the exercises. The text is also ideally suited for independent study. Some hints are given to help solve the exercises and if the exercise has a numerical solution, then this is given. The material covered allows the reader with a rudimentary knowledge of discrete mathematics to acquire an advanced level on all aspects of combinatorics, from enumeration, through finite geometries to graph theory.

This is the first of two volumes of a state-of-the-art survey article collection which originates from three commutative algebra sessions at the 2009 Fall Southeastern American Mathematical Society Meeting at Florida Atlantic University. The articles reach into diverse areas of commutative algebra and build a bridge between Noetherian and non-Noetherian commutative algebra.