A First Course in Combinatorial Mathematics

Now in a new second edition, this volume presents a clear and concise treatment of an increasingly important branch of mathematics. A unique introductory survey complete with easy-to-understand examples and sample problems, this text includes information on such basic combinatorial tools as recurrence relations, generating functions, incidence matrices, and the non-exclusion principle. It also provides a study of block designs, Steiner triple systems, and expanded coverage of the marriage theorem, as well as a unified account of three important constructions which are significant in coding theory.