Focusing on a very active area of mathematical research in the last decade, Combinatorics of Set Partitions presents methods used in the combinatorics of pattern avoidance and pattern enumeration in set partitions. Designed for students and researchers in discrete mathematics, the book is a one-stop reference on the results and research activities of set partitions from 1500 A.D. to today. Each chapter gives historical perspectives and contrasts different approaches, including generating functions, kernel method, block decomposition method, generating tree, and Wilf equivalences. Methods and definitions are illustrated with worked examples and MapleTM code. End-of-chapter problems often draw on data from published papers and the author’s extensive research in this field. The text also explores research directions that extend the results discussed. C++ programs and output tables are listed in the appendices and available for download on the author’s web page.

Among other subjects explored are the Clements-Lindström extension of the Kruskal-Katona theorem to multisets and the Greene-Kleitmen result concerning k-saturated chain partitions of general partially ordered sets. Includes exercises and solutions.

''In writing this book, care was taken to use language and examples that gradually wean students from a simpleminded mechanical approach and move them toward mathematical maturity. We also recognize that many students who hesitate to ask for help from an instructor need a readable text, and we have tried to anticipate the questions that go unasked. The wide range of examples in the text are meant to augment the "favorite examples" that most instructors have for teaching the topcs in discrete mathematics. To provide diagnostic help and encouragement, we have included solutions and/or hints to the odd-numbered exercises. These solutions include detailed answers whenever warranted and complete proofs, not just terse outlines of proofs. Our use of standard terminology and notation makes Applied Discrete Structures a valuable reference book for future courses. Although many advanced books have a short review of elementary topics, they cannot be complete. The text is divided into lecture-length sections, facilitating the organization of an instructor's presentation.Topics are presented in such a way that students' understanding can be monitored through thought-provoking exercises. The exercises require an understanding of the topics and how they are interrelated, not just a familiarity with the key words. An Instructor's Guide is available to any instructor who uses the text. It includes: Chapter-by-chapter comments on subtopics that emphasize the pitfalls to avoid; Suggested coverage times; Detailed solutions to most even-numbered exercises; Sample quizzes, exams, and final exams. This textbook has been used in classes at Casper College (WY), Grinnell College (IA), Luzurne Community College (PA), University of the Puget Sound (WA).''--

Bijective proofs are some of the most elegant and powerful techniques in all of mathematics. Suitable for readers without prior background in algebra or combinatorics, Bijective Combinatorics presents a general introduction to enumerative and algebraic combinatorics that emphasizes bijective methods.The text systematically develops the mathematical

Combinatorics and Number Theory of Counting Sequences is an introduction to the theory of finite set partitions and to the enumeration of cycle decompositions of permutations. The presentation prioritizes elementary enumerative proofs. Therefore, parts of the book are designed so that even those high school students and teachers who are interested in combinatorics can have the benefit of them. Still, the book collects vast, up-to-date information for many counting sequences (especially, related to set partitions and permutations), so it is a must-have piece for those mathematicians who do research on enumerative combinatorics. In addition, the book contains number theoretical results on counting sequences of set partitions and permutations, so number theorists who would like to see nice applications of their area of interest in combinatorics will enjoy the book, too. Features The Outlook sections at the end of each chapter guide the reader towards topics not covered in the book, and many of the Outlook items point towards new research problems. An extensive bibliography and tables at the end make the book usable as a standard reference. Citations to results which were scattered in the literature now become easy, because huge parts of the book (especially in parts II and III) appear in book form for the first time.

This book is a gentle introduction to the enumerative part of combinatorics suitable for study at the advanced undergraduate or beginning graduate level. In addition to covering all the standard techniques for counting combinatorial objects, the text contains material from the research literature which has never before appeared in print, such as the use of quotient posets to study the Möbius function and characteristic polynomial of a partially ordered set, or the connection between quasisymmetric functions and pattern avoidance. The book assumes minimal background, and a first course in abstract algebra should suffice. The exposition is very reader friendly: keeping a moderate pace, using lots of examples, emphasizing recurring themes, and frankly expressing the delight the author takes in mathematics in general and combinatorics in particular.

Provides a wide ranging introduction to partitions, accessible to any reader familiar with polynomials and infinite series.

Focusing on a very active area of mathematical research in the last decade, Combinatorics of Set Partitions presents methods used in the combinatorics of pattern avoidance and pattern enumeration in set partitions. Designed for students and researchers in discrete mathematics, the book is a one-stop reference on the results and research activities

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.

Written by one of the foremost experts in the field, Algebraic Combinatorics is a unique undergraduate textbook that will prepare the next generation of pure and applied mathematicians. The combination of the author’s extensive knowledge of combinatorics and classical and practical tools from algebra will inspire motivated students to delve deeply into the fascinating interplay between algebra and combinatorics. Readers will be able to apply their newfound knowledge to mathematical, engineering, and business models. The text is primarily intended for use in a one-semester advanced undergraduate course in algebraic combinatorics, enumerative combinatorics, or graph theory. Prerequisites include a basic knowledge of linear algebra over a field, existence of finite fields, and group theory. The topics in each chapter build on one another and include extensive problem sets as well as hints to selected exercises. Key topics include walks on graphs, cubes and the Radon transform, the Matrix–Tree Theorem, and the Sperner property. There are also three appendices on purely enumerative aspects of combinatorics related to the chapter material: the RSK algorithm, plane partitions, and the enumeration of labeled trees. Richard Stanley is currently professor of Applied Mathematics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Stanley has received several awards including the George Polya Prize in applied combinatorics, the Guggenheim Fellowship, and the Leroy P. Steele Prize for mathematical exposition. Also by the author: Combinatorics and Commutative Algebra, Second Edition, © Birkhauser.