Ten Applications Of Graph Theory

Growing specialization and diversification have brought a host of monographs and textbooks on increasingly specialized topics. However, the "tree" of knowledge of mathematics and related fields does not grow only by putting forth new bran ches. It also happens, quite often in fact, that branches which were thought to be completely disparate are suddenly seen to be related. Further, the kind and level of sophistication of mathematics applied in various sciences has changed drastically in recent years: measure theory is used (non-tri vially) in regional and theoretical economics; algebraic geometry interacts with physics; the Minkowsky lemma, coding theory and the structure of water meet one another in packing and covering theory; quantum fields, crystal defects and mathematical programming profit from homotopy theory; Lie algebras are relevant to filtering; and prediction and electrical engineering can use Stein spaces. And in addition to this there are such new emerging subdisciplines as "completely integrable systems", "chaos, synergetics and large-scale order", which are almost impossible to fit into the existing classification schemes. They draw upon widely different sections of mathematics. This program, Mathematics and Its Applications, is devoted to such (new) interrelations as exempla gratia: - a central concept which plays an important role in several different mathe matical and/or scientific specialized areas; - new applications of the results and ideas from one area of scientific endeavor into another; - influences which the results, problems and concepts of one field of enquiry have and have had on the development of another.

In the spectrum of mathematics, graph theory which studies a mathe matical structure on a set of elements with a binary relation, as a recognized discipline, is a relative newcomer. In recent three decades the exciting and rapidly growing area of the subject abounds with new mathematical devel opments and significant applications to real-world problems. More and more colleges and universities have made it a required course for the senior or the beginning postgraduate students who are majoring in mathematics, computer science, electronics, scientific management and others. This book provides an introduction to graph theory for these students. The richness of theory and the wideness of applications make it impossi ble to include all topics in graph theory in a textbook for one semester. All materials presented in this book, however, I believe, are the most classical, fundamental, interesting and important. The method we deal with the mate rials is to particularly lay stress on digraphs, regarding undirected graphs as their special cases. My own experience from teaching out of the subject more than ten years at University of Science and Technology of China (USTC) shows that this treatment makes hardly the course di:fficult, but much more accords with the essence and the development trend of the subject.

This text offers an introduction to the theory of graphs and its application in engineering and science. The first part covers the main graph theoretic topics: connectivity, trees, traversability, planarity, coloring, covering, matching, digraphs, networks, matrices of a graph, graph theoretic algorithms, and matroids. In the second part, these concepts are applied to problems in engineering, operations reserach, and science as well as to an interesting set of miscellaneous problems, thus iluustrating their broad applicability. Some effort has been made to present applications that use not merely the notation and terminology of graph theory, but its actual mathematical results. Some of the applications, such as in molecular evolution, facilities layout, and graffic network design, have never appeared before in book form. Written at an advanced undergraduate to beginning graduate level, the book is suitable for students of mathematics, engineering, operations resrach, computer science, and physical sciences as well as for researchers and practitioners with an interest in graph theoretic modelling.

Graph Theory and Its Applications, Third Edition is the latest edition of the international, bestselling textbook for undergraduate courses in graph theory, yet it is expansive enough to be used for graduate courses as well. The textbook takes a comprehensive, accessible approach to graph theory, integrating careful exposition of classical developments with emerging methods, models, and practical needs. The authors’ unparalleled treatment is an ideal text for a two-semester course and a variety of one-semester classes, from an introductory one-semester course to courses slanted toward classical graph theory, operations research, data structures and algorithms, or algebra and topology. Features of the Third Edition Expanded coverage on several topics (e.g., applications of graph coloring and tree-decompositions) Provides better coverage of algorithms and algebraic and topological graph theory than any other text Incorporates several levels of carefully designed exercises that promote student retention and develop and sharpen problem-solving skills Includes supplementary exercises to develop problem-solving skills, solutions and hints, and a detailed appendix, which reviews the textbook’s topics About the Authors Jonathan L. Gross is a professor of computer science at Columbia University. His research interests include topology and graph theory. Jay Yellen is a professor of mathematics at Rollins College. His current areas of research include graph theory, combinatorics, and algorithms. Mark Anderson is also a mathematics professor at Rollins College. His research interest in graph theory centers on the topological or algebraic side.

Already an international bestseller, with the release of this greatly enhanced second edition, Graph Theory and Its Applications is now an even better choice as a textbook for a variety of courses -- a textbook that will continue to serve your students as a reference for years to come. The superior explanations, broad coverage, and abundance of illustrations and exercises that positioned this as the premier graph theory text remain, but are now augmented by a broad range of improvements. Nearly 200 pages have been added for this edition, including nine new sections and hundreds of new exercises, mostly non-routine. What else is new? New chapters on measurement and analytic graph theory Supplementary exercises in each chapter - ideal for reinforcing, reviewing, and testing. Solutions and hints, often illustrated with figures, to selected exercises - nearly 50 pages worth Reorganization and extensive revisions in more than half of the existing chapters for smoother flow of the exposition Foreshadowing - the first three chapters now preview a number of concepts, mostly via the exercises, to pique the interest of reader Gross and Yellen take a comprehensive approach to graph theory that integrates careful exposition of classical developments with emerging methods, models, and practical needs. Their unparalleled treatment provides a text ideal for a two-semester course and a variety of one-semester classes, from an introductory one-semester course to courses slanted toward classical graph theory, operations research, data structures and algorithms, or algebra and topology.

Graph theory’s practical applications extend not only across multiple areas of mathematics and computer science but also throughout the social sciences, business, engineering, and other subjects. Buckley and Lewinter have written their text with students of all these disciplines in mind. Pedagogically rich, the authors provide hundreds of worked-out examples, figures, and exercises of varying degrees of difficulty. Concepts are presented in a readable and accessible manner, and applications are stressed throughout so the reader never loses sight of the powerful tools graph theory provides to solve real-world problems. Such diverse areas as job assignment, delivery truck routing, location of emergency or service facilities, network reliability, zoo design, exam scheduling, error-correcting codes, facility layout, and the critical path method are covered.

In the spectrum of mathematics, graph theory which studies a mathe matical structure on a set of elements with a binary relation, as a recognized discipline, is a relative newcomer. In recent three decades the exciting and rapidly growing area of the subject abounds with new mathematical devel opments and significant applications to real-world problems. More and more colleges and universities have made it a required course for the senior or the beginning postgraduate students who are majoring in mathematics, computer science, electronics, scientific management and others. This book provides an introduction to graph theory for these students. The richness of theory and the wideness of applications make it impossi ble to include all topics in graph theory in a textbook for one semester. All materials presented in this book, however, I believe, are the most classical, fundamental, interesting and important. The method we deal with the mate rials is to particularly lay stress on digraphs, regarding undirected graphs as their special cases. My own experience from teaching out of the subject more than ten years at University of Science and Technology of China (USTC) shows that this treatment makes hardly the course di:fficult, but much more accords with the essence and the development trend of the subject.