Pries Fall 2012: Introduction to Combinatorial Theory: Tentative syllabus
Week
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
Starts
8/20
8/27
9/3
9/10
9/17
9/24
10/1
10/08
10/15
10/22
10/29
11/5
11/12
14
15
11/26
12/3
Topics
Introduction to graphs, induction
Walks, trails, circuits
Trees, distance
optimization algorithms
Planarity
Colorings
Matchings, Ramsey Theory
Counting problems
Pigeon hole principle, inclusion-exclusion
Binomial coefficients, Pascal’s triangle, probability
Generating functions
Recurrence relations
Symmetric group
Thanksgiving break
Polya’s method and Burnside’s lemma
Codes and Latin squares
HHM
1.1
1.2,
1.4
1.5
1.6
1.7,
2.1
2.4,
2.2,
2.6
2.6
1.3
1.8
2.5
2.3?
LPV
2.1, 7.1
7.2, 7.3
8
9
12
13
10
1
2
3,5
4
2.7
14
Important Dates:
Labor day: week 3, Monday 9/3
Quiz 1: week 4, Friday 9/14
Quiz 2: week 7, Friday 10/5
Quiz 3: week 10, Friday 10/26
Quiz 4: week 13, Friday 11/16
Final exam: Thursday 12/13 11:50 am -1:50 pm.
Textbooks:
1. Combinatorics and Graph Theory by Harris, Hirst, & Mossinghoff:
available to CSU students for free at http://www.springerlink.com/content/978-0-38779710-6/
2. Discrete Mathematics Elementary and Beyond by Lovász, Pelikán, & Vesztergombi:
available to CSU students for free at http://www.springerlink.com/content/978-0-38795584-1/