To sign up for this working group, enroll for 3 credits in 693 (Pittel), call number 12900-9.

From preface to Enumerative Combinatorics, vol. 1, by Richard Stanley:
"There has been an explosive growth in combinatorics in recent years, including enumerative combinatorics. One important reason for this growth has been the fundamental role that combinatorics plays as a tool in computer science and related areas. A further reason has been the prodigious effort...to bring coherence and unity to ...combinatorics, particularly enumeration, and to incorporate it into the mainstream of contemporary mathematics. Enumerative combinatorics...has its role in...finite group theory, representation theory, commutative algebra, algebraic geometry, and algebraic topology."

The purpose of this workshop is to provide a gentle introduction to a fascinating area of mathematics for undergraduate and graduate students with a taste for the art of counting. The students will be asked to make presentations based on the material of the first two chapters of Stanley's book. An accent will be made on presenting solutions to a selection of exercises, since it is the best way to develop combinatorial intuition and counting skills. Typically, a counting problem can be solved in more than one way, and we will discuss competitive advantages of various approaches. Our task will not be as daunting as it seems since in almost all cases Stanley provides solutions. He also gives further references, thus whetting our appetite for a deeper study.

For more information please contact Boris Pittel (bgp@math.ohio-state.edu).