The Discrete Mathematical Charms of Paul Erdos

A Simple Introduction
Erscheinungsjahr 2021
ISBN: 978-1-108-92740-6
Verlag: Cambridge University Press

Buch, Englisch, 330 Seiten, Format (B × H): 168 mm x 241 mm, Gewicht: 528 g

Paul Erdos published more papers during his lifetime than any other mathematician, especially in discrete mathematics. He had a nose for beautiful, simply-stated problems with solutions that have far-reaching consequences across mathematics. This captivating book, written for students, provides an easy-to-understand introduction to discrete mathematics by presenting questions that intrigued Erdos, along with his brilliant ways of working toward their answers. It includes young Erdos's proof of Bertrand's postulate, the Erdos-Szekeres Happy End Theorem, De Bruijn-Erdos theorem, Erdos-Rado delta-systems, Erdos-Ko-Rado theorem, Erdos-Stone theorem, the Erdos-Rényi-Sós Friendship Theorem, Erdos-Rényi random graphs, the Chvátal-Erdos theorem on Hamilton cycles, and other results of Erdos, as well as results related to his work, such as Ramsey's theorem or Deza's theorem on weak delta-systems. Its appendix covers topics normally missing from introductory courses. Filled with personal anecdotes about Erdos, this book offers a behind-the-scenes look at interactions with the legendary collaborator.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Chvatal, Vasek

Chvátal, Vašek

Fachgebiete

• Mathematik | Informatik EDV | Informatik Programmierung | Softwareentwicklung Algorithmen & Datenstrukturen
• Mathematik | Informatik Mathematik Mathematik Allgemein Geschichte der Mathematik
• Mathematik | Informatik Mathematik Mathematik Allgemein Diskrete Mathematik, Kombinatorik

Inhaltsverzeichnis

Foreword; Preface; Acknowledgments; Introduction; 1. A glorious beginning – Bertrand's postulate; 2. Discrete geometry and spinoffs; 3. Ramsey's theorem; 4. Delta-systems; 5. Extremal set theory; 6. Van der Waerden's theorem; 7. Extremal graph theory; 8. The friendship theorem; 9. Chromatic number; 10. Thresholds of graph properties; 11. Hamilton cycles; Appendix A. A few tricks of the trade; Appendix B. Definitions, terminology, notation; Appendix C. More on Erdos; References; Index.

Über Autor(innen)

Chvátal, Vašek
Vašek Chvátal is Professor Emeritus of Concordia University, where he served as Canada Research Chair in Combinatorial Optimization (2004–2011) and Canada Research Chair in Discrete Mathematics from 2011 to his retirement in 2014. He is the author of Linear Programming (1983) and co-author of The Traveling Salesman Problem: A Computational Study (2007). In the 1970s, he wrote three joint papers with Paul Erdos. He is a recipient of the CSGSS Award for Excellence in Teaching, Rutgers University (1992, 1993, 2001) and co-recipient of the Beale-Orchard-Hays Prize (2000), Frederick W. Lanchester Prize (2007), and John von Neumann Theory Prize (2015).