Introduction to combinatorics
By: Martin J. Erickson.
Series: Wiley-Interscience series in discrete mathematics and optimization
Publisher: Wiley
Published: 1996
Place of publication: New York
Language: eng
Number of pages: 195
Subjects: Combinatorial analysis.
Description: 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.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references (p. 187-189) and index.
"A Wiley-Interscience publication."