MA 217: Discrete Mathematics

Credits: 3:0


  Combinatorics: Basic counting techniques. Principle of inclusion and exclusion. Recurrence relations and generating functions. Pigeon-hole principle, Ramsey theory. Standard counting numbers, Polya enumeration theorem.

Graph Theory: Elementary notions, Shortest path problems. Eulerian and Hamiltonian graphs, The Chinese postman problem. Matchings, the personal assignment prolem. Colouring or Graphs.

Number Theory: Divisibility Arithmetic functions. Congruences. Diophantine equations. Fermat’s big theorem, Quadratic reciprocity laws. Primitive roots.  


Suggested books and references:

  1. Bondy, J. A. and Muirty, U. S. R., Graph theory with applications, Elsevier-North Holland, 1976.
  2. Burton, D., Elementary Number Theory, McGraw Hill, 1997.
  3. Clark, J. and Holton, D. A., A first book at Graph Theory, World Scientific Cp., 1991.
  4. Polya G. D., Tarjan, R. E. and Woods, D. R., Notes on Introductory Combinations, Springer-Verlag, 1990.

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Contact: +91 (80) 2293 2711, +91 (80) 2293 2265 ;     E-mail: chair.math[at]iisc[dot]ac[dot]in
Last updated: 18 Mar 2024