The unity of combinatorics
Author(s)
Bibliographic Information
The unity of combinatorics
（The Carus mathematical monographs, v. 36）
MAA Press, c2020
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Note
Includes bibliographical references (p. 329-338) and index
Description and Table of Contents
Description
Combinatorics, or the art and science of counting, is a vibrant and active area of pure mathematical research with many applications. The Unity of Combinatorics succeeds in showing that the many facets of combinatorics are not merely isolated instances of clever tricks but that they have numerous connections and threads weaving them together to form a beautifully patterned tapestry of ideas. Topics include combinatorial designs, combinatorial games, matroids, difference sets, Fibonacci numbers, finite geometries, Pascal's triangle, Penrose tilings, error-correcting codes, and many others. Anyone with an interest in mathematics, professional or recreational, will be sure to find this book both enlightening and enjoyable.
Few mathematicians have been as active in this area as Richard Guy, now in his eighth decade of mathematical productivity. Guy is the author of over 300 papers and twelve books in geometry, number theory, graph theory, and combinatorics. In addition to being a life-long number-theorist and combinatorialist, Guy's co-author, Ezra Brown, is a multi-award-winning expository writer. Together, Guy and Brown have produced a book that, in the spirit of the founding words of the Carus book series, is accessible ``not only to mathematicians but to scientific workers and others with a modest mathematical background.''
Table of Contents
Introduction
Blocks, sequences, bow ties, and worms
Combinatorial games
Fibonacci, Pascal, and Catalan
Catwalks, sandsteps, and Pascal pyramids
Unique rook circuits
Sums, colorings, squared squares, and packings
Difference sets and combinatorial designs
Geometric connections
The groups $PSL(2,7)$ and $GL(3,2)$ and why they are isomorphic
Incidence matrices, codes, and sphere packings
Kirkman's Schoolgirls, fields, spreads, and hats
$(7,3,1)$ and combinatorics
$(7,3,1)$ and normed algebras
$(7,3,1)$ and matroids
Coin turning games and Mock Turtles
The $(11,5,2)$ biplane, codes, designs, and groups
Rick's Tricky Six Puzzle: More than meets the eye
$S(5,8,24)$
The miracle octad generator
Bibliography
Index.
by "Nielsen BookData"
