Combinatorial enumeration is a readily accessible subject full of easily stated, but sometimes tantalizingly difficult problems. This book leads the reader in a leisurely way from the basic notions of combinatorial enumeration to a variety of topics, ranging from algebra to statistical physics. The aim of the author is to introduce readers to a fascinating field, and to offer a sophisticated source of information for the professional mathematician who wants to learn more about the subject. The book is organized in three parts: Basics, Methods, and Topics. There are 666 exercises, and as a special feature every chapter ends with a highlight section, discussing in detail a particularly beautiful or famous result.

Inhalt

Basics.- Fundamental Coefficients.- Formal Series and Infinite Matrices.- Methods.- Generating Functions.- Hypergeometric Summation.- Sieve Methods.- Enumeration of Patterns.- Topics.- The Catalan Connection.- Symmetric Functions.- Counting Polynomials.- Models from Statistical Physics.