Combinatorics: The Art of Counting

Download or read book Combinatorics: The Art of Counting written by Bruce E. Sagan and published by American Mathematical Soc.. This book was released on 2020-10-16 with total page 328 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book is a gentle introduction to the enumerative part of combinatorics suitable for study at the advanced undergraduate or beginning graduate level. In addition to covering all the standard techniques for counting combinatorial objects, the text contains material from the research literature which has never before appeared in print, such as the use of quotient posets to study the Möbius function and characteristic polynomial of a partially ordered set, or the connection between quasisymmetric functions and pattern avoidance. The book assumes minimal background, and a first course in abstract algebra should suffice. The exposition is very reader friendly: keeping a moderate pace, using lots of examples, emphasizing recurring themes, and frankly expressing the delight the author takes in mathematics in general and combinatorics in particular.