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.
Resources in html
Resources in postscript
- Course announcement (from 2010)
- Advice to students
- Fall 2011 Homework:
1.
2,
3,
4,
5,
6,
7,
8,
9,
10,
11,
12,
- Archive of problem sets from Fall 2010:
1, 2, 3,
4, 5, 6,
7, 8, 9,
10, 11, 12,
13, 14
- Archive of problem sets from Fall 2009:
1, 2, 3,
4, 5, 6,
7, 8, 9,
10, 11, 12,
13, 14
- Archive of problem sets from Fall 2008:
1, 2, 3,
4, 5, 6,
7, 8, 9,
10, 11, 12,
13, 14