Publisher's Synopsis
One area of mathematics which has come to the fore in recent years is that of combinatorics. The intense interest has been fuelled in large part by the increasing importance of computers, the needs of computer science and the demands from applications where discrete models play more and more important roles. In addition, many classical branches of mathematics have now come to recognize that combinatorial structures are essential components of many mathematical theories. Leading experts in all areas of combinatorics have contributed to this book. The "Handbook of Combinatorics" provides the working mathematician and computer scientist with an overview of basic methods and paradigms. The book also covers important results and discusses current trends and issues across the whole spectrum of combinatorics. It is hoped that even specialists in the field will benefit from reading this handbook by learning a leading expert's coherent and individual view of the topic.
