Clear and beautifully written ... this book is much more than a simple introduction ... [Its] great strength is that while examining a number of important concepts in detail, the author does so ... without using complicated abstract formulae.

Mathematics Today

How many possible sudoku puzzles are there? In the lottery, what is the chance that two winning balls have consecutive numbers? Who invented Pascal's triangle? (it was not Pascal) Combinatorics, the branch of mathematics concerned with selecting, arranging, and listing or counting collections of objects, works to answer all these questions. Dating back some 3000 years, and initially consisting mainly of the study of permutations and combinations, its scope has broadened to include topics such as graph theory, partitions of numbers, block designs, design of codes, and latin squares. In this Very Short Introduction Robin Wilson gives an overview of the field and its applications in mathematics and computer theory, considering problems from the shortest routes covering certain stops to the minimum number of colours needed to colour a map with different colours for neighbouring countries. ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.
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Combinatorics is a large branch of mathematics involving the counting, selecting, and arranging of objects. Robin Wilson explores the field, looking at problems such as the shortest routes from A to B, to the number of Sudoku puzzles possible.
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1: What is combinatorics? 2: Four types of problem 3: Permutations and combinations 4: A combinatorial zoo 5: Tilings and polyhedra 6: Graphs 7: Square arrays 8: Designs and geometry 9: Partitions Further Reading Index
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Introduces Combinatorics through a problem-solving approach Covers the core aspects of the subject such as permutations, combinations, and latin squares Explores a variety of classic and modern problems, from the Könisberg bridges to Sudoku puzzles Part of the Very Short Introductions series - over seven million copies sold worldwide
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Robin Wilson is an Emeritus Professor of Pure Mathematics at the Open University, Emeritus Professor of Geometry at Gresham College, London, and a former fellow of Keble College, Oxford University. He is currently a Visiting Professor at the London School of Economics. A former President of the British Society for the History of Mathematics, he has written and edited many books on the history of mathematics, including Lewis Carroll in Numberland, and also on graph theory, including Introduction to Graph Theory and Four Colours Suffice. Involved with the popularization of mathematics and its history, he has been awarded the Mathematical Association of America's Lester Ford award and Pólya prize for his 'outstanding expository writing', and the Ralph Stanton Award for outreach activities in combinatorics. He has Erdõs Number 1.
Les mer
Introduces Combinatorics through a problem-solving approach Covers the core aspects of the subject such as permutations, combinations, and latin squares Explores a variety of classic and modern problems, from the Könisberg bridges to Sudoku puzzles Part of the Very Short Introductions series - over seven million copies sold worldwide
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Produktdetaljer

ISBN
9780198723493
Publisert
2016
Utgiver
Vendor
Oxford University Press
Vekt
158 gr
Høyde
174 mm
Bredde
114 mm
Dybde
9 mm
Aldersnivå
G, 01
Språk
Product language
Engelsk
Format
Product format
Heftet
Antall sider
176

Forfatter

Om bidragsyterne

Robin Wilson is an Emeritus Professor of Pure Mathematics at the Open University, Emeritus Professor of Geometry at Gresham College, London, and a former fellow of Keble College, Oxford University. He is currently a Visiting Professor at the London School of Economics. A former President of the British Society for the History of Mathematics, he has written and edited many books on the history of mathematics, including Lewis Carroll in Numberland, and also on graph theory, including Introduction to Graph Theory and Four Colours Suffice. Involved with the popularization of mathematics and its history, he has been awarded the Mathematical Association of America's Lester Ford award and Pólya prize for his 'outstanding expository writing', and the Ralph Stanton Award for outreach activities in combinatorics. He has Erdõs Number 1.