Introduction to Combinatorics, 2nd Edition

PREFACE

This book is an update and revision of my earlier textbook of the same title. The most important change is an increase in the number of worked examples and solved exercises. Also, several new topics have been introduced. But the overall plan of the book is the same as in the first edition: to introduce the reader to the basic elements of combinatorics, along with many examples and exercises.

Combinatorics may be described as the study of how discrete structures can be counted, arranged, and constructed. Accordingly, this book is an introduction to the three main branches of combinatorics: enumeration, existence, and construction. There are two chapters devoted to each of these three areas.

Combinatorics plays a central role in mathematics. One has only to look at the numerous journal titles in combinatorics and discrete mathematics to see that this area is huge! Some of the journal titles are Journal of Combinatorial Theory Series A and Series B; Journal of Graph Theory; Discrete Mathematics; Discrete Applied Mathematics; Annals of Discrete Mathematics; Annals of Combinatorics; Topics in Discrete Mathematics; SIAM Journal on Discrete Mathematics; Graphs and Combinatorics; Combinatorica; Ars Combinatoria; European Journal of Combinatorics A and B; Journal of Algebraic Combinatorics; Journal of Combinatorial Designs; Designs, Codes, and Cryptography; Journal of Combinatorial Mathematics and Combinatorial Computing; Combinatorics, Probability & Computing; Journal of Combinatorics, ...