The discrete mathematics and theoretical computer science communities have recently witnessed explosive growth in the area of algorithmic combinatorics on words. The next generation of research on combinatorics of partial words promises to have a substantial impact on molecular biology, nanotechnology, data communication, and DNA computing. Delving

Combinatorial Algorithms on Words refers to the collection of manipulations of strings of symbols (words) - not necessarily from a finite alphabet - that exploit the combinatorial properties of the logical/physical input arrangement to achieve efficient computational performances. The model of computation may be any of the established serial paradigms (e.g. RAM's, Turing Machines), or one of the emerging parallel models (e.g. PRAM ,WRAM, Systolic Arrays, CCC). This book focuses on some of the accomplishments of recent years in such disparate areas as pattern matching, data compression, free groups, coding theory, parallel and VLSI computation, and symbolic dynamics; these share a common flavor, yet ltave not been examined together in the past. In addition to being theoretically interest ing, these studies have had significant applications. It happens that these works have all too frequently been carried out in isolation, with contributions addressing similar issues scattered throughout a rather diverse body of literature. We felt that it would be advantageous to both current and future researchers to collect this work in a sin gle reference. It should be clear that the book's emphasis is on aspects of combinatorics and com plexity rather than logic, foundations, and decidability. In view of the large body of research and the degree of unity already achieved by studies in the theory of auto mata and formal languages, we have allocated very little space to them.

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This textbook thoroughly outlines combinatorial algorithms for generation, enumeration, and search. Topics include backtracking and heuristic search methods applied to various combinatorial structures, such as: Combinations Permutations Graphs Designs Many classical areas are covered as well as new research topics not included in most existing texts, such as: Group algorithms Graph isomorphism Hill-climbing Heuristic search algorithms This work serves as an exceptional textbook for a modern course in combinatorial algorithms, providing a unified and focused collection of recent topics of interest in the area. The authors, synthesizing material that can only be found scattered through many different sources, introduce the most important combinatorial algorithmic techniques - thus creating an accessible, comprehensive text that students of mathematics, electrical engineering, and computer science can understand without needing a prior course on combinatorics.

The term ?stringology? is a popular nickname for text algorithms, or algorithms on strings. This book deals with the most basic algorithms in the area. Most of them can be viewed as ?algorithmic jewels? and deserve reader-friendly presentation. One of the main aims of the book is to present several of the most celebrated algorithms in a simple way by omitting obscuring details and separating algorithmic structure from combinatorial theoretical background. The book reflects the relationships between applications of text-algorithmic techniques and the classification of algorithms according to the measures of complexity considered. The text can be viewed as a parade of algorithms in which the main purpose is to discuss the foundations of the algorithms and their interconnections. One can partition the algorithmic problems discussed into practical and theoretical problems. Certainly, string matching and data compression are in the former class, while most problems related to symmetries and repetitions in texts are in the latter. However, all the problems are interesting from an algorithmic point of view and enable the reader to appreciate the importance of combinatorics on words as a tool in the design of efficient text algorithms.In most textbooks on algorithms and data structures, the presentation of efficient algorithms on words is quite short as compared to issues in graph theory, sorting, searching, and some other areas. At the same time, there are many presentations of interesting algorithms on words accessible only in journals and in a form directed mainly at specialists. This book fills the gap in the book literature on algorithms on words, and brings together the many results presently dispersed in the masses of journal articles. The presentation is reader-friendly; many examples and about two hundred figures illustrate nicely the behaviour of otherwise very complex algorithms.

Comprehensive 2002 introduction to combinatorics on words for mathematicians and theoretical computer scientists.

Analytic combinatorics aims to enable precise quantitative predictions of the properties of large combinatorial structures. The theory has emerged over recent decades as essential both for the analysis of algorithms and for the study of scientific models in many disciplines, including probability theory, statistical physics, computational biology, and information theory. With a careful combination of symbolic enumeration methods and complex analysis, drawing heavily on generating functions, results of sweeping generality emerge that can be applied in particular to fundamental structures such as permutations, sequences, strings, walks, paths, trees, graphs and maps. This account is the definitive treatment of the topic. The authors give full coverage of the underlying mathematics and a thorough treatment of both classical and modern applications of the theory. The text is complemented with exercises, examples, appendices and notes to aid understanding. The book can be used for an advanced undergraduate or a graduate course, or for self-study.

Combinatorics on words, or finite sequences, is a field which grew simultaneously within disparate branches of mathematics such as group theory and probability. It has grown into an independent theory finding substantial applications in computer science automata theory and liguistics. This volume is the first to present a thorough treatment of this theory. All of the main results and techniques are covered. The presentation is accessible to undergraduate and graduate level students in mathematics and computer science as well as to specialists in all branches of applied mathematics.

A One-Stop Source of Known Results, a Bibliography of Papers on the Subject, and Novel Research Directions Focusing on a very active area of research in the last decade, Combinatorics of Compositions and Words provides an introduction to the methods used in the combinatorics of pattern avoidance and pattern enumeration in compositions and words. It

From the reviews: "About 30 years ago, when I was a student, the first book on combinatorial optimization came out referred to as "the Lawler" simply. I think that now, with this volume Springer has landed a coup: "The Schrijver". The box is offered for less than 90.- EURO, which to my opinion is one of the best deals after the introduction of this currency." OR-Spectrum