A Survey Of Combinatorial Theory

A Survey of Combinatorial Theory covers the papers presented at the International Symposium on Combinatorial Mathematics and its Applications, held at Colorado State University (CSU), Fort Collins, Colorado on September 9-11, 1971. The book focuses on the principles, operations, and approaches involved in combinatorial theory, including the Bose-Nelson sorting problem, Golay code, and Galois geometries. The selection first ponders on classical and modern topics in finite geometrical structures; balanced hypergraphs and applications to graph theory; and strongly regular graph derived from the perfect ternary Golay code. Discussions focus on perfect ternary Golay code, finite projective and affine planes, Galois geometries, and other geometric structures. The book then examines the characterization problems of combinatorial graph theory, line-minimal graphs with cyclic group, circle geometry in higher dimensions, and Cayley diagrams and regular complex polygons. The text discusses combinatorial problems in finite Abelian groups, dissection graphs of planar point sets, combinatorial problems and results in fractional replication, Bose-Nelson sorting problem, and some combinatorial aspects of coding theory. The text also reviews the enumerative theory of planar maps, balanced arrays and orthogonal arrays, existence of resolvable block designs, and combinatorial problems in communication networks. The selection is a valuable source of information for mathematicians and researchers interested in the combinatorial theory.

Includes proof of van der Waerden's 1926 conjecture on permanents, Wilson's theorem on asymptotic existence, and other developments in combinatorics since 1967. Also covers coding theory and its important connection with designs, problems of enumeration, and partition. Presents fundamentals in addition to latest advances, with illustrative problems at the end of each chapter. Enlarged appendixes include a longer list of block designs.

It is now generally recognized that the field of combinatorics has, over the past years, evolved into a fully-fledged branch of discrete mathematics whose potential with respect to computers and the natural sciences is only beginning to be realized. Still, two points seem to bother most authors: The apparent difficulty in defining the scope of combinatorics and the fact that combinatorics seems to consist of a vast variety of more or less unrelated methods and results. As to the scope of the field, there appears to be a growing consensus that combinatorics should be divided into three large parts: (a) Enumeration, including generating functions, inversion, and calculus of finite differences; (b) Order Theory, including finite posets and lattices, matroids, and existence results such as Hall's and Ramsey's; (c) Configurations, including designs, permutation groups, and coding theory. The present book covers most aspects of parts (a) and (b), but none of (c). The reasons for excluding (c) were twofold. First, there exist several older books on the subject, such as Ryser [1] (which I still think is the most seductive introduction to combinatorics), Hall [2], and more recent ones such as Cameron-Van Lint [1] on groups and designs, and Blake-Mullin [1] on coding theory, whereas no compre hensive book exists on (a) and (b).

From the reviews: "This book [...] defines the boundaries of the subject now called combinatorial group theory. [...] it is a considerable achievement to have concentrated a survey of the subject into 339 pages. [...] a valuable and welcome addition to the literature, containing many results not previously available in a book. It will undoubtedly become a standard reference." Mathematical Reviews

A ``hands-on'' constructive and computational approach to combinatorial topics with real-life modern applications. Provides a simple treatment of the subject. Introduces topics such as counting, designs and graphs. The notation is standard and kept to a minimum. Chapters end with historical remarks and suggestions for further reading.

A major aim of this book is to present the theory of combinatorial geometry in a form accessible to mathematicians working in disparate subjects.