Discrete Mathematics for Computer Science

Download or read book Discrete Mathematics for Computer Science written by John Schlipf and published by . This book was released on 2020-09-22 with total page 620 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Discrete Mathematics for Computer Science by Gary Haggard , John Schlipf , Sue Whitesides A major aim of this book is to help you develop mathematical maturity-elusive as thisobjective may be. We interpret this as preparing you to understand how to do proofs ofresults about discrete structures that represent concepts you deal with in computer science.A correct proof can be viewed as a set of reasoned steps that persuade another student,the course grader, or the instructor about the truth of the assertion. Writing proofs is hardwork even for the most experienced person, but it is a skill that needs to be developedthrough practice. We can only encourage you to be patient with the process. Keep tryingout your proofs on other students, graders, and instructors to gain the confidence that willhelp you in using proofs as a natural part of your ability to solve problems and understandnew material. The six chapters referred to contain the fundamental topics. Thesechapters are used to guide students in learning how to express mathematically precise ideasin the language of mathematics.The two chapters dealing with graph theory and combinatorics are also core materialfor a discrete structures course, but this material always seems more intuitive to studentsthan the formalism of the first four chapters. Topics from the first four chapters are freelyused in these later chapters. The chapter on discrete probability builds on the chapter oncombinatorics. The chapter on the analysis of algorithms uses notions from the core chap-ters but can be presented at an informal level to motivate the topic without spending a lot oftime with the details of the chapter. Finally, the chapter on recurrence relations primarilyuses the early material on induction and an intuitive understanding of the chapter on theanalysis of algorithms. The material in Chapters 1 through 4 deals with sets, logic, relations, and functions.This material should be mastered by all students. A course can cover this material at differ-ent levels and paces depending on the program and the background of the students whenthey take the course. Chapter 6 introduces graph theory, with an emphasis on examplesthat are encountered in computer science. Undirected graphs, trees, and directed graphsare studied. Chapter 7 deals with counting and combinatorics, with topics ranging from theaddition and multiplication principles to permutations and combinations of distinguishableor indistinguishable sets of elements to combinatorial identities.Enrichment topics such as relational databases, languages and regular sets, uncom-putability, finite probability, and recurrence relations all provide insights regarding howdiscrete structures describe the important notions studied and used in computer science.Obviously, these additional topics cannot be dealt with along with the all the core materialin a one-semester course, but the topics provide attractive alternatives for a variety of pro-grams. This text can also be used as a reference in courses. The many problems provideample opportunity for students to deal with the material presented.