A Course in Combinatorics (Paperback)

Combinatorics deals with ways of arranging and distributing mathematical objects, and involves ideas from geometry, algebra and analysis. The breadth of its theory is matched by that of its applications, which include topics as diverse as codes, circuit design and algorithm complexity. So, it has become essential for workers in many scientific fields, for example, electrical engineering and computer science, to have some knowledge of the subject. This book is based on courses originated at the California Institute of Technology and developed and class-tested there and in Eindhoven. From its inception the authors have tried to be as comprehensive as possible, dealing, in a unified manner, with, for example, graph theory, enumeration, external problems, projective geometry, designs, colorings and codes. At the same time they have included interesting and non-trivial results. The depth and breadth of the coverage help to make the book unique as a guide to the whole of the subject. The authors have paid particular attention to pedagogic matters, taking care to explain difficult matters carefully and entertainingly, and motivate them as appropriate.