MATH 580 / CS 571

COMBINATORIAL MATHEMATICS, Fall 2011

This course is a graduate-level introduction to the fundamental ideas and results of combinatorics. It moves quickly but does not assume prior study in combinatorics. It is intended for graduate students from mathematics or related areas wanting a good one-semester background in fundamental and applicable discrete mathematics. It also provides solid preparation for advanced combinatorics courses and for various courses in computer science.

Roughly the first third of the course discusses elementary enumeration, covering the material of Math 413 (and beyond) at a more sophisticated level. The middle third discusses graph theory, presenting the main results of Math 412, again from a more sophisticated viewpoint. The remainder touches on topics that are explored more fully in later courses (581, 582, 583, 584), including Ramsey theory, partially ordered sets, the probabilistic method, and combinatorial designs.

NOTE: The FALL 2011 edition of the text will available at TIS Bookstore (707 S. 6th St.) for under $40, probably by August 24. It is almost the same length as last year's text, with some rearrangement in a few chapters.

The course meets MWF at 2pm in 343 Altgeld Hall. The problem session meets Mondays 3-5pm in ??? Altgeld Hall. The instructor this year is Alexander Yong.

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