Fibonacci and Catalan Numbers


Book Description

Discover the properties and real-world applications of the Fibonacci and the Catalan numbers With clear explanations and easy-to-follow examples, Fibonacci and Catalan Numbers: An Introduction offers a fascinating overview of these topics that is accessible to a broad range of readers. Beginning with a historical development of each topic, the book guides readers through the essential properties of the Fibonacci numbers, offering many introductory-level examples. The author explains the relationship of the Fibonacci numbers to compositions and palindromes, tilings, graph theory, and the Lucas numbers. The book proceeds to explore the Catalan numbers, with the author drawing from their history to provide a solid foundation of the underlying properties. The relationship of the Catalan numbers to various concepts is then presented in examples dealing with partial orders, total orders, topological sorting, graph theory, rooted-ordered binary trees, pattern avoidance, and the Narayana numbers. The book features various aids and insights that allow readers to develop a complete understanding of the presented topics, including: Real-world examples that demonstrate the application of the Fibonacci and the Catalan numbers to such fields as sports, botany, chemistry, physics, and computer science More than 300 exercises that enable readers to explore many of the presented examples in greater depth Illustrations that clarify and simplify the concepts Fibonacci and Catalan Numbers is an excellent book for courses on discrete mathematics, combinatorics, and number theory, especially at the undergraduate level. Undergraduates will find the book to be an excellent source for independent study, as well as a source of topics for research. Further, a great deal of the material can also be used for enrichment in high school courses.




The $q,t$-Catalan Numbers and the Space of Diagonal Harmonics


Book Description

This work contains detailed descriptions of developments in the combinatorics of the space of diagonal harmonics, a topic at the forefront of current research in algebraic combinatorics. These developments have led in turn to some surprising discoveries in the combinatorics of Macdonald polynomials.




Discrete Mathematics


Book Description

This gentle introduction to discrete mathematics is written for first and second year math majors, especially those who intend to teach. The text began as a set of lecture notes for the discrete mathematics course at the University of Northern Colorado. This course serves both as an introduction to topics in discrete math and as the "introduction to proof" course for math majors. The course is usually taught with a large amount of student inquiry, and this text is written to help facilitate this. Four main topics are covered: counting, sequences, logic, and graph theory. Along the way proofs are introduced, including proofs by contradiction, proofs by induction, and combinatorial proofs. The book contains over 360 exercises, including 230 with solutions and 130 more involved problems suitable for homework. There are also Investigate! activities throughout the text to support active, inquiry based learning. While there are many fine discrete math textbooks available, this text has the following advantages: It is written to be used in an inquiry rich course. It is written to be used in a course for future math teachers. It is open source, with low cost print editions and free electronic editions.




Catalan Numbers with Applications


Book Description

This book presents a clear and comprehensive introduction to one of the truly fascinating topics in mathematics: Catalan numbers. They crop up in chess, computer programming and even train tracks. In addition to lucid descriptions of the mathematics and history behind Catalan numbers, Koshy includes short biographies of the prominent mathematicians who have worked with the numbers.




Fibonacci and Lucas Numbers with Applications


Book Description

The first comprehensive survey of mathematics' most fascinatingnumber sequences Fibonacci and Lucas numbers have intrigued amateur and professionalmathematicians for centuries. This volume represents the firstattempt to compile a definitive history and authoritative analysisof these famous integer sequences, complete with a wealth ofexciting applications, enlightening examples, and fun exercisesthat offer numerous opportunities for exploration andexperimentation. The author has assembled a myriad of fascinating properties of bothFibonacci and Lucas numbers-as developed by a wide range ofsources-and catalogued their applications in a multitude of widelyvaried disciplines such as art, stock market investing,engineering, and neurophysiology. Most of the engaging anddelightful material here is easily accessible to college and evenhigh school students, though advanced material is included tochallenge more sophisticated Fibonacci enthusiasts. A historicalsurvey of the development of Fibonacci and Lucas numbers,biographical sketches of intriguing personalities involved indeveloping the subject, and illustrative examples round out thisthorough and amusing survey. Most chapters conclude with numericand theoretical exercises that do not rely on long and tediousproofs of theorems. Highlights include: * Balanced blend of theory and real-world applications * Excellent reference material for student reports andprojects * User-friendly, informal, and entertaining writing style * Historical interjections and short biographies that add a richerperspective to the topic * Reference sections providing important symbols, problemsolutions, and fundamental properties from the theory of numbersand matrices Fibonacci and Lucas Numbers with Applications providesmathematicians with a wealth of reference material in oneconvenient volume and presents an in-depth and entertainingresource for enthusiasts at every level and from any background.




Inquiry-Based Enumerative Combinatorics


Book Description

This textbook offers the opportunity to create a uniquely engaging combinatorics classroom by embracing Inquiry-Based Learning (IBL) techniques. Readers are provided with a carefully chosen progression of theorems to prove and problems to actively solve. Students will feel a sense of accomplishment as their collective inquiry traces a path from the basics to important generating function techniques. Beginning with an exploration of permutations and combinations that culminates in the Binomial Theorem, the text goes on to guide the study of ordinary and exponential generating functions. These tools underpin the in-depth study of Eulerian, Catalan, and Narayana numbers that follows, and a selection of advanced topics that includes applications to probability and number theory. Throughout, the theory unfolds via over 150 carefully selected problems for students to solve, many of which connect to state-of-the-art research. Inquiry-Based Enumerative Combinatorics is ideal for lower-division undergraduate students majoring in math or computer science, as there are no formal mathematics prerequisites. Because it includes many connections to recent research, students of any level who are interested in combinatorics will also find this a valuable resource.




Combinatorial Identities


Book Description




Analytic Combinatorics


Book Description

Analytic combinatorics aims to enable precise quantitative predictions of the properties of large combinatorial structures. The theory has emerged over recent decades as essential both for the analysis of algorithms and for the study of scientific models in many disciplines, including probability theory, statistical physics, computational biology, and information theory. With a careful combination of symbolic enumeration methods and complex analysis, drawing heavily on generating functions, results of sweeping generality emerge that can be applied in particular to fundamental structures such as permutations, sequences, strings, walks, paths, trees, graphs and maps. This account is the definitive treatment of the topic. The authors give full coverage of the underlying mathematics and a thorough treatment of both classical and modern applications of the theory. The text is complemented with exercises, examples, appendices and notes to aid understanding. The book can be used for an advanced undergraduate or a graduate course, or for self-study.




An Introduction to Catalan Numbers


Book Description

This textbook provides an introduction to the Catalan numbers and their remarkable properties, along with their various applications in combinatorics. Intended to be accessible to students new to the subject, the book begins with more elementary topics before progressing to more mathematically sophisticated topics. Each chapter focuses on a specific combinatorial object counted by these numbers, including paths, trees, tilings of a staircase, null sums in Zn+1, interval structures, partitions, permutations, semiorders, and more. Exercises are included at the end of book, along with hints and solutions, to help students obtain a better grasp of the material. The text is ideal for undergraduate students studying combinatorics, but will also appeal to anyone with a mathematical background who has an interest in learning about the Catalan numbers. “Roman does an admirable job of providing an introduction to Catalan numbers of a different nature from the previous ones. He has made an excellent choice of topics in order to convey the flavor of Catalan combinatorics. [Readers] will acquire a good feeling for why so many mathematicians are enthralled by the remarkable ubiquity and elegance of Catalan numbers.” - From the foreword by Richard Stanley




Recurrent Sequences


Book Description

This self-contained text presents state-of-the-art results on recurrent sequences and their applications in algebra, number theory, geometry of the complex plane and discrete mathematics. It is designed to appeal to a wide readership, ranging from scholars and academics, to undergraduate students, or advanced high school and college students training for competitions. The content of the book is very recent, and focuses on areas where significant research is currently taking place. Among the new approaches promoted in this book, the authors highlight the visualization of some recurrences in the complex plane, the concurrent use of algebraic, arithmetic, and trigonometric perspectives on classical number sequences, and links to many applications. It contains techniques which are fundamental in other areas of math and encourages further research on the topic. The introductory chapters only require good understanding of college algebra, complex numbers, analysis and basic combinatorics. For Chapters 3, 4 and 6 the prerequisites include number theory, linear algebra and complex analysis. The first part of the book presents key theoretical elements required for a good understanding of the topic. The exposition moves on to to fundamental results and key examples of recurrences and their properties. The geometry of linear recurrences in the complex plane is presented in detail through numerous diagrams, which lead to often unexpected connections to combinatorics, number theory, integer sequences, and random number generation. The second part of the book presents a collection of 123 problems with full solutions, illustrating the wide range of topics where recurrent sequences can be found. This material is ideal for consolidating the theoretical knowledge and for preparing students for Olympiads.