An advanced reference containing 21 selected or consolidated papers presented at an international conference in April 1988 at Tunxi (now Hunangshan), China. Contains recent, previously unavailable findings of Chinese mathematicians; discusses problems, results, and proving methods of combinatorial d

An advanced reference containing 21 selected or consolidated papers presented at an international conference in April 1988 at Tunxi (now Hunangshan), China. Contains recent, previously unavailable findings of Chinese mathematicians; discusses problems, results, and proving methods of combinatorial d

Combinatorial theory is one of the fastest growing areas of modern mathematics. Focusing on a major part of this subject, Introduction to Combinatorial Designs, Second Edition provides a solid foundation in the classical areas of design theory as well as in more contemporary designs based on applications in a variety of fields.

After an overview of basic concepts, the text introduces balanced designs and finite geometries. The author then delves into balanced incomplete block designs, covering difference methods, residual and derived designs, and resolvability. Following a chapter on the existence theorem of Bruck, Ryser, and Chowla, the book discusses Latin squares, one-factorizations, triple systems, Hadamard matrices, and Room squares. It concludes with a number of statistical applications of designs.

Reflecting recent results in design theory and outlining several applications, this new edition of a standard text presents a comprehensive look at the combinatorial theory of experimental design. Suitable for a one-semester course or for self-study, it will prepare readers for further exploration in the field.

To access supplemental materials for this volume, visit the author's website at http: //www.math.siu.edu/Wallis/designs

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.

This title takes an in-depth look at the mathematics in the context of voting and electoral systems, with focus on simple ballots, complex elections, fairness, approval voting, ties, fair and unfair voting, and manipulation techniques. The exposition opens with a sketch of the mathematics behind the various methods used in conducting elections. The reader is lead to a comprehensive picture of the theoretical background of mathematics and elections through an analysis of Condorcet's Principle and Arrow's Theorem of conditions in electoral fairness. Further detailed discussion of various related topics include: methods of manipulating the outcome of an election, amendments, and voting on small committees.In recent years, electoral theory has been introduced into lower-level mathematics courses, as a way to illustrate the role of mathematics in our everyday life. Few books have studied voting and elections from a more formal mathematical viewpoint. This text will be useful to those who teach lower level courses or special topics courses and aims to inspire students to understand the more advanced mathematics of the topic. The exercises in this text are ideal for upper undergraduate and early graduate students, as well as those with a keen interest in the mathematics behind voting and elections.

This volume is a sequel to our 1996 compilation, Computational and Constructive Design Theory. Again we concentrate on two closely re lated aspects of the study of combinatorial designs: design construction and computer-aided study of designs. There are at least three classes of constructive problems in design theory. The first type of problem is the construction of a specific design. This might arise because that one particular case is an exception to a general rule, the last remaining case of a problem, or the smallest unknown case. A good example is the proof that there is no projective plane of parameter 10. In that case the computations involved were not different in kind from those which have been done by human brains without electronic assistance; they were merely longer. Computers have also been useful in the study of combinatorial spec trum problems: if a class of design has certain parameters, what is the set of values that the parameters can realize? In many cases, there is a recursive construction, so that the existence of a small number of "starter" designs leads to the construction of infinite classes of designs, and computers have proven very useful in finding "starter" designs.

This second edition of "A Beginner's Guide to Finite Mathematics" takes a distinctly applied approach to finite mathematics at the freshman and sophomore level. Topics are presented sequentially: the book opens with a brief review of sets and numbers, followed by an introduction to data sets, histograms, means and medians. Counting techniques and the Binomial Theorem are covered, which provides the foundation for elementary probability theory; this, in turn, leads to basic statistics. This new edition includes chapters on game theory and financial mathematics. Requiring little mathematical background beyond high school algebra, the text will be especially useful for business and liberal arts majors.

This book has grown out of graduate courses given by the author at Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, as well as a series of seminars delivered at Curtin University of Technology, Western Australia. The book is intended to be used both as a textbook at the graduate level and also as a professional reference. The topic of one-factorizations fits into the theory of combinatorial designs just as much as it does into graph theory. Factors and factorizations occur as building blocks in the theory of designs in a number of places. Our approach owes as much to design theory as it does to graph theory. It is expected that nearly all readers will have some background in the theory of graphs, such as an advanced undergraduate course in Graph Theory or Applied Graph Theory. However, the book is self-contained, and the first two chapters are a thumbnail sketch of basic graph theory. Many readers will merely skim these chapters, observing our notational conventions along the way. (These introductory chapters could, in fact, enable some instructors to Ilse the book for a somewhat eccentric introduction to graph theory.) Chapter 3 introduces one-factors and one-factorizations. The next two chapters outline two major application areas: combinatorial arrays and tournaments. These two related areas have provided the impetus for a good deal of study of one-factorizations.

This volume is a sequel to our 1996 compilation, Computational and Constructive Design Theory. Again we concentrate on two closely re lated aspects of the study of combinatorial designs: design construction and computer-aided study of designs. There are at least three classes of constructive problems in design theory. The first type of problem is the construction of a specific design. This might arise because that one particular case is an exception to a general rule, the last remaining case of a problem, or the smallest unknown case. A good example is the proof that there is no projective plane of parameter 10. In that case the computations involved were not different in kind from those which have been done by human brains without electronic assistance; they were merely longer. Computers have also been useful in the study of combinatorial spec trum problems: if a class of design has certain parameters, what is the set of values that the parameters can realize? In many cases, there is a recursive construction, so that the existence of a small number of "starter" designs leads to the construction of infinite classes of designs, and computers have proven very useful in finding "starter" designs."

This book has grown out of graduate courses given by the author at Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, as well as a series of seminars delivered at Curtin University of Technology, Western Australia. The book is intended to be used both as a textbook at the graduate level and also as a professional reference. The topic of one-factorizations fits into the theory of combinatorial designs just as much as it does into graph theory. Factors and factorizations occur as building blocks in the theory of designs in a number of places. Our approach owes as much to design theory as it does to graph theory. It is expected that nearly all readers will have some background in the theory of graphs, such as an advanced undergraduate course in Graph Theory or Applied Graph Theory. However, the book is self-contained, and the first two chapters are a thumbnail sketch of basic graph theory. Many readers will merely skim these chapters, observing our notational conventions along the way. (These introductory chapters could, in fact, enable some instructors to Ilse the book for a somewhat eccentric introduction to graph theory.) Chapter 3 introduces one-factors and one-factorizations. The next two chapters outline two major application areas: combinatorial arrays and tournaments. These two related areas have provided the impetus for a good deal of study of one-factorizations.

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.

Wallis's book on discrete mathematics is a resource for an introductory course in a subject fundamental to both mathematics and computer science, a course that is expected not only to cover certain specific topics but also to introduce students to important modes of thought specific to each discipline . . . Lower-division undergraduates through graduate students. -Choice reviews (Review of the First Edition)

Very appropriately entitled as a 'beginner's guide', this textbook presents itself as the first exposure to discrete mathematics and rigorous proof for the mathematics or computer science student. -Zentralblatt Math (Review of the First Edition)

This second edition of A Beginner's Guide to Discrete Mathematics presents a detailed guide to discrete mathematics and its relationship to other mathematical subjects including set theory, probability, cryptography, graph theory, and number theory. This textbook has a distinctly applied orientation and explores a variety of applications. Key Features of the second edition: * Includes a new chapter on the theory of voting as well as numerous new examples and exercises throughout the book * Introduces functions, vectors, matrices, number systems, scientific notations, and the representation of numbers in computers * Provides examples which then lead into easy practice problems throughout the text and full exercise at the end of each chapter * Full solutions for practice problems are provided at the end of the book

This text is intended for undergraduates in mathematics and computer science, however, featured special topics and applications may also interest graduate students.

Graph theory continues to be one of the fastest growing areas of modern mathematics because of its wide applicability in such diverse disciplines as computer science, engineering, chemistry, management science, social science, and resource planning. Graphs arise as mathematical models in these fields, and the theory of graphs provides a spectrum of methods of proof. This concisely written textbook is intended for an introductory course in graph theory for undergraduate mathematics majors or advanced undergraduate and graduate students from the many fields that benefit from graph-theoretic applications.

Key features:

* Introductory chapters present the main ideas and topics in graph theorya "walks, paths and cycles, radius, diameter, eccentricity, cuts and connectivity, trees

* Subsequent chapters examine specialized topics and applications

* Numerous examples and illustrations

* Comprehensive index and bibliography, with suggested literature for more advanced material

New to the second edition:

* New chapters on labeling and communications networks and small-worlds

* Expanded beginnera (TM)s material in the early chapters, including more examples, exercises, hints and solutions to key problems

* Many additional changes, improvements, and corrections throughout resulting from classroom use and feedback

Striking a balance between a theoretical and practical approach with a distinctly applied flavor, this gentle introduction to graph theory consists of carefully chosen topics to develop graph-theoretic reasoning for a mixed audience. Familiarity with the basic concepts of set theory, along with some background in matrices and algebra, and a little mathematical maturity are the only prerequisites.

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From a review of the first edition:

"Altogether the book gives a comprehensive introduction to graphs, their theory and their applicationa ]The use of the text is optimized when the exercises are solved. The obtained skills improve understanding of graph theory as wella ] It is very useful that the solutions of these exercises are collected in an appendix."

a "Simulation News Europe

Magic squares are among the more popular mathematical recreations. Over the last 50 years, many generalizations of "magic" ideas have been applied to graphs. Recently there has been a resurgence of interest in "magic labelings" due to a number of results that have applications to the problem of decomposing graphs into trees. Key features of this second edition include: * a new chapter on magic labeling of directed graphs * applications of theorems from graph theory and interesting counting arguments * new research problems and exercises covering a range of difficulties * a fully updated bibliography and index This concise, self-contained exposition is unique in its focus on the theory of magic graphs/labelings. It may serve as a graduate or advanced undergraduate text for courses in mathematics or computer science, and as reference for the researcher.

Magic squares are among the more popular mathematical recreations. Over the last 50 years, many generalizations of "magic" ideas have been applied to graphs. Recently there has been a resurgence of interest in "magic labelings" due to a number of results that have applications to the problem of decomposing graphs into trees.

Key features of this second edition include:

. a new chapter on magic labeling of directed graphs

. applications of theorems from graph theory and interesting counting arguments

. new research problems and exercises covering a range of difficulties

. a fully updated bibliography and index

This concise, self-contained exposition is unique in its focus on the theory of magic graphs/labelings. It may serve as a graduate or advanced undergraduate text for courses in mathematics or computer science, and as reference for the researcher."