In China, lots of excellent students who are good at maths takes an active part in various maths contests and the best six senior high school students will be selected to form the IMO National Team to compete in the International Mathematical Olympiad. In the past ten years China's IMO Team has achieved outstanding results - they have won the first place almost every year.The author is one of the coaches of China's IMO National Team, whose students have won many gold medals many times in IMO.This book is part of the Mathematical Olympiad Series which discusses several aspects related to maths contests, such as algebra, number theory, combinatorics, graph theory and geometry. The book elaborates on methods of discrete extremization, such as inequality control, repeated extremum, partial adjustment, exploiting symmetry, polishing transform, space estimates, etc.

This book is a unique work which provides an in-depth exploration into the mathematical expertise, philosophy, and knowledge of H W Gould. It is written in a style that is accessible to the reader with basic mathematical knowledge, and yet contains material that will be of interest to the specialist in enumerative combinatorics. This book begins with exposition on the combinatorial and algebraic techniques that Professor Gould uses for proving binomial identities. These techniques are then applied to develop formulas which relate Stirling numbers of the second kind to Stirling numbers of the first kind. Professor Gould's techniques also provide connections between both types of Stirling numbers and Bernoulli numbers. Professor Gould believes his research success comes from his intuition on how to discover combinatorial identities.This book will appeal to a wide audience and may be used either as lecture notes for a beginning graduate level combinatorics class, or as a research supplement for the specialist in enumerative combinatorics.

Introduction to Abstract Algebra, Second Edition presents abstract algebra as the main tool underlying discrete mathematics and the digital world. It avoids the usual groups first/rings first dilemma by introducing semigroups and monoids, the multiplicative structures of rings, along with groups. This new edition of a widely adopted textbook covers applications from biology, science, and engineering. It offers numerous updates based on feedback from first edition adopters, as well as improved and simplified proofs of a number of important theorems. Many new exercises have been added, while new study projects examine skewfields, quaternions, and octonions. The first three chapters of the book show how functional composition, cycle notation for permutations, and matrix notation for linear functions provide techniques for practical computation. These three chapters provide a quick introduction to algebra, sufficient to exhibit irrational numbers or to gain a taste of cryptography. Chapters four through seven cover abstract groups and monoids, orthogonal groups, stochastic matrices, Lagrange's theorem, groups of units of monoids, homomorphisms, rings, and integral domains. The first seven chapters provide basic coverage of abstract algebra, suitable for a one-semester or two-quarter course. Each chapter includes exercises of varying levels of difficulty, chapter notes that point out variations in notation and approach, and study projects that cover an array of applications and developments of the theory. The final chapters deal with slightly more advanced topics, suitable for a second-semester or third-quarter course. These chapters delve deeper into the theory of rings, fields, and groups. They discuss modules, including vector spaces and abelian groups, group theory, and quasigroups. This textbook is suitable for use in an undergraduate course on abstract algebra for mathematics, computer science, and education majors, along with students from other STEM fields.

The study of network theory is a highly interdisciplinary field, which has emerged as a major topic of interest in various disciplines ranging from physics and mathematics, to biology and sociology. This book promotes the diverse nature of the study of complex networks by balancing the needs of students from very different backgrounds. It references the most commonly used concepts in network theory, provides examples of their applications in solving practical problems, and clear indications on how to analyse their results. In the first part of the book, students and researchers will discover the quantitative and analytical tools necessary to work with complex networks, including the most basic concepts in network and graph theory, linear and matrix algebra, as well as the physical concepts most frequently used for studying networks. They will also find instruction on some key skills such as how to proof analytic results and how to manipulate empirical network data. The bulk of the text is focused on instructing readers on the most useful tools for modern practitioners of network theory. These include degree distributions, random networks, network fragments, centrality measures, clusters and communities, communicability, and local and global properties of networks. The combination of theory, example and method that are presented in this text, should ready the student to conduct their own analysis of networks with confidence and allow teachers to select appropriate examples and problems to teach this subject in the classroom.

Die DVD pr sentiert eine Sammlung preisgekr nter Kurzfilme zu mathematischen Themen wie Geometrie und Computergraphik, wissenschaftliches Rechnen und Visualisierung, abstrakte mathematische Ideen und Anwendungen in der realen Welt. Die Filme richten sich an einen breiten Zuschauerkreis: Sch ler, Studenten, Lehrer und all jene, die neugierig auf die bunten Seiten der Mathematik sind. Alle Filme wurden beim internationalen MathFilm Festival 2008 in Berlin im Rahmen des Jahres der Mathematik" ausgezeichnet.

This book is an expansion of our first book Introduction to Graph Theory: H3 Mathematics. While the first book was intended for capable high school students and university freshmen, this version covers substantially more ground and is intended as a reference and textbook for undergraduate studies in Graph Theory. In fact, the topics cover a few modules in the Graph Theory taught at the National University of Singapore. The reader will be challenged and inspired by the material in the book, especially the variety and quality of the problems, which are derived from the authors' years of teaching and research experience.

This book is an expansion of our first book Introduction to Graph Theory: H3 Mathematics. While the first book was intended for capable high school students and university freshmen, this version covers substantially more ground and is intended as a reference and textbook for undergraduate studies in Graph Theory. In fact, the topics cover a few modules in the Graph Theory taught at the National University of Singapore. The reader will be challenged and inspired by the material in the book, especially the variety and quality of the problems, which are derived from the authors' years of teaching and research experience.

Combinatorics as a branch of mathematics studies the arts of counting. Enumeration occupies the foundation of combinatorics with a large range of applications not only in mathematics itself but also in many other disciplines. It is too broad a task to write a book to show the deep development in every corner from this aspect. This monograph is intended to provide a unified theory for those related to the enumeration of maps. For enumerating maps the first thing we have to know is the sym metry of a map. Or in other words, we have to know its automorphism group. In general, this is an interesting, complicated, and difficult problem. In order to do this, the first problem we meet is how to make a map considered without symmetry. Since the beginning of sixties when Tutte found a way of rooting on a map, the problem has been solved. This forms the basis of the enumerative theory of maps. As soon as the problem without considering the symmetry is solved for one kind of map, the general problem with symmetry can always, in principle, be solved from what we have known about the automorphism of a polyhedron, a synonym for a map, which can be determined efficiently according to another monograph of the present author Liu58]."

This is the first monograph on codebooks and linear codes from difference sets and almost difference sets. It aims at providing a survey of constructions of difference sets and almost difference sets as well as an in-depth treatment of codebooks and linear codes from difference sets and almost difference sets. To be self-contained, this monograph covers necessary mathematical foundations and the basics of coding theory. It also contains tables of best BCH codes and best cyclic codes over GF(2) and GF(3) up to length 125 and 79, respectively. This repository of tables can be used to benchmark newly constructed cyclic codes. This monograph is intended to be a reference for postgraduates and researchers who work on combinatorics, or coding theory, or digital communications.

Mathematics in the Real World is a self-contained, accessible introduction to the world of mathematics for non-technical majors. With a focus on everyday applications and context, the topics in this textbook build in difficulty and are presented sequentially, starting with a brief review of sets and numbers followed by an introduction to elementary statistics, models, and graph theory. Data and identification numbers are then covered, providing the pathway to voting and finance. Each subject is covered in a concise and clear fashion through the use of real-world applications and the introduction of relevant terminology. Many sample problems - both writing exercises and multiple-choice questions - are included to help develop students' level of understanding and to offer a variety of options to instructors. Covering six major units and outlining a one-semester course, Mathematics in the Real World is aimed at undergraduate liberal art students fulfilling the mathematics requirement in their degree program. This introductory text will be an excellent resource for such courses, and will show students where mathematics arises in their everyday lives.

From the reviews: ..". The book under review consists of two monographs on geometric aspects of group theory ... Together, these two articles form a wide-ranging survey of combinatorial group theory, with emphasis very much on the geometric roots of the subject. This will be a useful reference work for the expert, as well as providing an overview of the subject for the outsider or novice. Many different topics are described and explored, with the main results presented but not proved. This allows the interested reader to get the flavour of these topics without becoming bogged down in detail. Both articles give comprehensive bibliographies, so that it is possible to use this book as the starting point for a more detailed study of a particular topic of interest. ..." Bulletin of the London Mathematical Society, 1996

The book describes up-to-date applications and relevant theoretical results. These applications come from various places, but the most important one, numerically speaking, is the internet based educational system ALEKS. The ALEKS system is bilingual English-Spanish and covers all of mathematics, from third grade to the end of high school, and chemistry. It is also widely used in higher education because US students are often poorly prepared when they reach the university level. The chapter by Taagepera and Arasasingham deals with the application of knowledge spaces, independent of ALEKS, to the teaching of college chemistry. The four chapters by Albert and his collaborators strive to give cognitive interpretations to the combinatoric structures obtained and used by the ALEKS system. The contribution by Eppstein is technical and develops means of searching the knowledge structure efficiently.

The ultimate lateral-thinking challenge. If you relish a serious mental workout, this collection of 100 brain teasers will demand your very best lateral thinking skills and mathematical rigour to solve. These puzzles will amuse and perplex in equal measure. But do not worry, full, detailed solutions are found at the back of the book so you can get into the head of these fiendish setters! These mental puzzles require serious application, imagination and skill to solve. Some demand a logical approach, others a methodical, mathematical mind. Are you up to the challenge of solving these rigorous but entertaining mathematical puzzles?

This book builds on two recently published books by the same authors on fuzzy graph theory. Continuing in their tradition, it provides readers with an extensive set of tools for applying fuzzy mathematics and graph theory to social problems such as human trafficking and illegal immigration. Further, it especially focuses on advanced concepts such as connectivity and Wiener indices in fuzzy graphs, distance, operations on fuzzy graphs involving t-norms, and the application of dialectic synthesis in fuzzy graph theory. Each chapter also discusses a number of key, representative applications. Given its approach, the book provides readers with an authoritative, self-contained guide to - and at the same time an inspiring read on - the theory and modern applications of fuzzy graphs. For newcomers, the book also includes a brief introduction to fuzzy sets, fuzzy relations and fuzzy graphs.

This book focuses on the application of virtual reality (VR) technology in mining machinery. It gives a detailed introduction to the application of VR technology in virtual assembly, virtual planning, and virtual monitoring. Based on the theory of digital twin, VR technology and collaborative control technology are applied to coal mining machinery equipment, which lays a foundation for the digitalization and intellectualization of coal machinery equipment and broadens the application scope of virtual reality technology in the mechanical engineering field. Through the application of VR technology in coal machinery equipment, this book provides new methods and ideas for teaching activities, scientific research activities, and actual production with rich illustrations, related table introduction, unique research ideas, and other unique contents. This book could be a useful reference for researchers in mining machinery, simulation and modeling, computer-aided engineering (CAD and CAE) and design, visualization, mechanical engineering, and other disciplines.

Following the basic ideas, standard constructions and important examples in the theory of permutation groups, the book goes on to develop the combinatorial and group theoretic structure of primitive groups leading to the proof of the pivotal ONan-Scott Theorem which links finite primitive groups with finite simple groups. Special topics covered include the Mathieu groups, multiply transitive groups, and recent work on the subgroups of the infinite symmetric groups. With its many exercises and detailed references to the current literature, this text can serve as an introduction to permutation groups in a course at the graduate or advanced undergraduate level, as well as for self-study.

This book in its Second Edition is a useful, attractive introduction to basic counting techniques for upper secondary to undergraduate students, as well as teachers. Younger students and lay people who appreciate mathematics, not to mention avid puzzle solvers, will also find the book interesting. The various problems and applications here are good for building up proficiency in counting. They are also useful for honing basic skills and techniques in general problem solving. Many of the problems avoid routine and the diligent reader will often discover more than one way of solving a particular problem, which is indeed an important awareness in problem solving. The book thus helps to give students an early start to learning problem-solving heuristics and thinking skills.New chapters originally from a supplementary book have been added in this edition to substantially increase the coverage of counting techniques. The new chapters include the Principle of Inclusion and Exclusion, the Pigeonhole Principle, Recurrence Relations, the Stirling Numbers and the Catalan Numbers. A number of new problems have also been added to this edition.

We propose here a study of 'semiexact' and 'homological' categories as a basis for a generalised homological algebra. Our aim is to extend the homological notions to deeply non-abelian situations, where satellites and spectral sequences can still be studied.This is a sequel of a book on 'Homological Algebra, The interplay of homology with distributive lattices and orthodox semigroups', published by the same Editor, but can be read independently of the latter.The previous book develops homological algebra in p-exact categories, i.e. exact categories in the sense of Puppe and Mitchell - a moderate generalisation of abelian categories that is nevertheless crucial for a theory of 'coherence' and 'universal models' of (even abelian) homological algebra. The main motivation of the present, much wider extension is that the exact sequences or spectral sequences produced by unstable homotopy theory cannot be dealt with in the previous framework.According to the present definitions, a semiexact category is a category equipped with an ideal of 'null' morphisms and provided with kernels and cokernels with respect to this ideal. A homological category satisfies some further conditions that allow the construction of subquotients and induced morphisms, in particular the homology of a chain complex or the spectral sequence of an exact couple.Extending abelian categories, and also the p-exact ones, these notions include the usual domains of homology and homotopy theories, e.g. the category of 'pairs' of topological spaces or groups; they also include their codomains, since the sequences of homotopy 'objects' for a pair of pointed spaces or a fibration can be viewed as exact sequences in a homological category, whose objects are actions of groups on pointed sets.

This book offers an introduction to the theory of groupoids and their representations encompassing the standard theory of groups. Using a categorical language, developed from simple examples, the theory of finite groupoids is shown to knit neatly with that of groups and their structure as well as that of their representations is described. The book comprises numerous examples and applications, including well-known games and puzzles, databases and physics applications. Key concepts have been presented using only basic notions so that it can be used both by students and researchers interested in the subject. Category theory is the natural language that is being used to develop the theory of groupoids. However, categorical presentations of mathematical subjects tend to become highly abstract very fast and out of reach of many potential users. To avoid this, foundations of the theory, starting with simple examples, have been developed and used to study the structure of finite groups and groupoids. The appropriate language and notions from category theory have been developed for students of mathematics and theoretical physics. The book presents the theory on the same level as the ordinary and elementary theories of finite groups and their representations, and provides a unified picture of the same. The structure of the algebra of finite groupoids is analysed, along with the classical theory of characters of their representations. Unnecessary complications in the formal presentation of the subject are avoided. The book offers an introduction to the language of category theory in the concrete setting of finite sets. It also shows how this perspective provides a common ground for various problems and applications, ranging from combinatorics, the topology of graphs, structure of databases and quantum physics.

This book provides a complete introduction into spatial networks. It offers the mathematical tools needed to characterize these structures and how they evolve in time and presents the most important models of spatial networks. The book puts a special emphasis on analyzing complex systems which are organized under the form of networks where nodes and edges are embedded in space. In these networks, space is relevant, and topology alone does not contain all the information. Characterizing and understanding the structure and the evolution of spatial networks is thus crucial for many different fields, ranging from urbanism to epidemiology. This subject is therefore at the crossroad of many fields and is of potential interest to a broad audience comprising physicists, mathematicians, engineers, geographers or urbanists. In this book, the author has expanded his previous book ("Morphogenesis of Spatial Networks") to serve as a textbook and reference on this topic for a wide range of students and professional researchers.

This monograph is devoted to the study of Polygroup Theory. It begins with some basic results concerning group theory and algebraic hyperstructures, which represent the most general algebraic context, in which reality can be modeled. Most results on polygroups are collected in this book. Moreover, this monograph is the first book on this theory. The volume is highly recommended to theoreticians in pure and applied mathematics.

Focusing on a very active area of mathematical research in the last decade, Combinatorics of Set Partitions presents methods used in the combinatorics of pattern avoidance and pattern enumeration in set partitions. Designed for students and researchers in discrete mathematics, the book is a one-stop reference on the results and research activities of set partitions from 1500 A.D. to today.

Each chapter gives historical perspectives and contrasts different approaches, including generating functions, kernel method, block decomposition method, generating tree, and Wilf equivalences. Methods and definitions are illustrated with worked examples and Maple code. End-of-chapter problems often draw on data from published papers and the author s extensive research in this field. The text also explores research directions that extend the results discussed. C++ programs and output tables are listed in the appendices and available for download on the author s web page.

This volume collects selected papers from the 7th High Dimensional Probability meeting held at the Institut d'Etudes Scientifiques de Cargese (IESC) in Corsica, France. High Dimensional Probability (HDP) is an area of mathematics that includes the study of probability distributions and limit theorems in infinite-dimensional spaces such as Hilbert spaces and Banach spaces. The most remarkable feature of this area is that it has resulted in the creation of powerful new tools and perspectives, whose range of application has led to interactions with other subfields of mathematics, statistics, and computer science. These include random matrices, nonparametric statistics, empirical processes, statistical learning theory, concentration of measure phenomena, strong and weak approximations, functional estimation, combinatorial optimization, and random graphs. The contributions in this volume show that HDP theory continues to thrive and develop new tools, methods, techniques and perspectives to analyze random phenomena.