On The Foundations Of Combinatorial Theory Combinatorial Geometries

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

This book is a continuation of Theory of Matroids (also edited by Neil White), and again consists of a series of related surveys that have been contributed by authorities in the area. The volume begins with three chapters on coordinatisations, followed by one on matching theory. The next two deal with transversal and simplicial matroids. These are followed by studies of the important matroid invariants. The final chapter deals with matroids in combinatorial optimisation, a topic of much current interest. The whole volume has been carefully edited to ensure a uniform style and notation throughout, and to make a work that can be used as a reference or as an introductory textbook for graduate students or non-specialists.

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.

Combinatorics has come of age. It had its beginnings in a number of puzzles which have still not lost their charm. Among these are EULER'S problem of the 36 officers and the KONIGSBERG bridge problem, BACHET's problem of the weights, and the Reverend T.P. KIRKMAN'S problem of the schoolgirls. Many of the topics treated in ROUSE BALL'S Recreational Mathe matics belong to combinatorial theory. All of this has now changed. The solution of the puzzles has led to a large and sophisticated theory with many complex ramifications. And it seems probable that the four color problem will only be solved in terms of as yet undiscovered deep results in graph theory. Combinatorics and the theory of numbers have much in common. In both theories there are many prob lems which are easy to state in terms understandable by the layman, but whose solution depends on complicated and abstruse methods. And there are now interconnections between these theories in terms of which each enriches the other. Combinatorics includes a diversity of topics which do however have interrelations in superficially unexpected ways. The instructional lectures included in these proceedings have been divided into six major areas: 1. Theory of designs; 2. Graph theory; 3. Combinatorial group theory; 4. Finite geometry; 5. Foundations, partitions and combinatorial geometry; 6. Coding theory. They are designed to give an overview of the classical foundations of the subjects treated and also some indication of the present frontiers of research.

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).

A complete, self-contained introduction to a powerful and resurgingmathematical discipline . Combinatorial Geometry presents andexplains with complete proofs some of the most important resultsand methods of this relatively young mathematical discipline,started by Minkowski, Fejes Toth, Rogers, and Erd???s. Nearly halfthe results presented in this book were discovered over the pasttwenty years, and most have never before appeared in any monograph.Combinatorial Geometry will be of particular interest tomathematicians, computer scientists, physicists, and materialsscientists interested in computational geometry, robotics, sceneanalysis, and computer-aided design. It is also a superb textbook,complete with end-of-chapter problems and hints to their solutionsthat help students clarify their understanding and test theirmastery of the material. Topics covered include: * Geometric number theory * Packing and covering with congruent convex disks * Extremal graph and hypergraph theory * Distribution of distances among finitely many points * Epsilon-nets and Vapnik--Chervonenkis dimension * Geometric graph theory * Geometric discrepancy theory * And much more

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).