The following textbooks are the main textbooks for the class:
Stanley, R. P. Enumerative Combinatorics. Vol. I and II. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 1999. ISBN: 0521553091 (hardback: vol. I);
0521663512 (paperback: vol. I);
0521560691 (hardback: vol. II).
Bollobás, B. Modern Graph Theory (Graduate Texts in Mathematics). New York, NY: Springer-Verlag, 1998. ISBN: 0387984917.
———. Extremal Graph Theory. New York, NY: Dover, 2004. ISBN: 0486435962.
Jukna, S. Extremal Combinatorics. New York, NY: Springer-Verlag, Berlin, 2000. ISBN: 3540663134.
The following textbooks can be used as supplemental reading:
Diestel, R. Graph Theory (Graduate Texts in Mathematics). New York, NY: Springer-Verlag, 1997. ISBN: 3540261834. (Available electronically on the Graph Theory Web site by R. Diestel).
Matousek, J. Lectures on Discrete Geometry (Graduate Texts in Mathematics). New York, NY: Springer-Verlag, 2002. ISBN: 0387953736.
The following readings specifically deal with problem 6 from Problem Set 1:
The original paper is here:
Burago, Ju. D., and V. A. Zalgaller. "Polyhedral embedding of a net." Vestnik Leningrad Univ 15 (1960): 66-80. (In Russian)
A recent relatively simple solution:
Maehara, H. "Acute triangulations of polygons." European J Combin 23 (2002): 45-55.
Interestingly enough, if one allows right triangles there exist plentiful literature:
Baker, B. S., E. Grosse, and C. S. Rafferty. "Nonobtuse triangulation of polygons." Discrete Comput Geom 3 (1988): 147-168.
Bern, M., and D. Eppstein. "Polynomial-size nonobtuse triangulation of polygons." Internat J Comput Geom Appl 2 (1992): 241-255; Errata 449-450.
Bern, M., S. Mitchell, and J. Ruppert. "Linear-size nonobtuse triangulation of polygons." Discrete Comput Geom 14 (1995): 411-428.
The following table lists the readings assigned for each lecture.
Lec # | Topics | Readings |
---|---|---|
1 | Course Introduction Ramsey Theorem |
![]() |
2 | Additive Number Theory Theorems of Schur and Van der Waerden |
![]() ![]() |
3 | Lower Bound in Schur's Theorem Erdös-Szekeres Theorem (Two Proofs) 2-Colorability of Multigraphs Intersection Conditions |
![]() |
4 | More on Colorings Greedy Algorithm Height Functions Argument for 3-Colorings of a Rectangle Erdös Theorem |
![]() Luby, M., D. Randall, and A. Sinclair. "Markov Chain Algorithms for Planar Lattice Structures." FOCS 1995. (Paper) |
5 | More on Colorings (cont.) Erdös-Lovász Theorem Brooks Theorem |
![]() ![]() |
6 | 5-Color Theorem Vizing's Theorem |
![]() ![]() |
7 | Edge Coloring of Bipartite Graphs Heawood Formula |
![]() ![]() |
8 | Glauber Dynamics The Diameter Explicit Calculations Bounds on Chromatic Number via the Number of Edges, and via the Independence Number | |
9 | Chromatic Polynomial NBC Theorem | |
10 | Acyclic Orientations Stanley's Theorem Two Definitions of the Tutte Polynomial |
![]() |
11 | More on Tutte Polynomial Special Values External and Internal Activities Tutte's Theorem |
![]() |
12 | Tutte Polynomial for a Cycle Gessel's Formula for Tutte Polynomial of a Complete Graph | Gessel, I. M. "Enumerative applications of a decomposition for graphs and digraphs." Discrete Math 139, no. 1-3 (1995): 257–271. (Paper) |
13 | Crapo's Bijection Medial Graph and Two Type of Cuts Introduction to Knot Theory Reidemeister Moves |
![]() Korn, M., and I. Pak. Combinatorial evaluations of the Tutte polynomial. Preprint (2003) available at Research (Igor Pak Home Page). (Paper) |
14 | Kauffman Bracket and Jones Polynomial |
![]() |
15 | Linear Algebra Methods Oddtown Theorem Fisher's Inequality 2-Distance Sets |
![]() |
16 | Non-uniform Ray-Chaudhuri-Wilson Theorem Frankl-Wilson Theorem | |
17 | Borsuk Conjecture Kahn-Kalai Theorem |
![]() |
18 | Packing with Bipartite Graphs Testing Matrix Multiplication | |
19 | Hamiltonicity, Basic Results Tutte's Counter Example Length of the Longest Path in a Planar Graph |
![]() |
20 | Grinberg's Formula Lovász and Babai Conjectures for Vertex-transitive Graphs Dirac's Theorem |
![]() |
21 | Tutte's Theorem Every Cubic Graph Contains either no HC, or At Least Three Examples of Hamiltonian Cycles in Cayley Graphs of Sn | |
22 | Hamiltonian Cayley Graphs of General Groups | Pak, I., and R. Radoicic. "Hamiltonian paths in Cayley graphs." Preprint (2002) available at Research (Igor Pak Home Page). (Paper) |
23 | Menger Theorem Gallai-Milgram Theorem |
![]() |
24 | Dilworth Theorem Hall's Marriage Theorem Erdös-Szekeres Theorem |
![]() |
25 | Sperner Theorem Two Proofs of Mantel Theorem Graham-Kleitman Theorem |
![]() |
26 | Swell Colorings Ward-Szabo Theorem Affine Planes |
![]() |
27 | Turán's Theorem Asymptotic Analogues |
![]() |
28 | Pattern Avoidance The case of S3 and Catalan Numbers Stanley-Wilf Conjecture | |
29 | Permutation Patterns Arratia Theorem Furedi-Hajnal Conjecture | Arratia, R. "On the Stanley-Wilf conjecture for the number of permutations avoiding a given pattern." Electron J Combin 6, no. 1 (1999). (Paper) |
30 | Proof by Marcus and Tardos of the Stanley-Wilf Conjecture | Marcus, A., and G. Tardos. "Excluded permutation matrices and the Stanley-Wilf conjecture." J Combin Theory Ser A 107, no. 1 (2004): 153–160. |
31 | Non-intersecting Path Principle Gessel-Viennot Determinants Binet-Cauchy Identity |
![]() |
32 | Convex Polyomino Narayana Numbers MacMahon Formula |
![]() |
33 | Solid Partitions MacMahon's Theorem Hook-content Formula |
![]() |
34 | Hook Length Formula | Pak, I. "Hook Length Formula and Geometric Combinatorics." Séminaire Lotharingien de Combinatoire 46 (2001): article B46f. |
35 | Two Polytope Theorem | Pak, I. "Hook Length Formula and Geometric Combinatorics." Séminaire Lotharingien de Combinatoire 46 (2001): article B46f. |
36 | Connection to RSK Special Cases | Pak, I. "Hook Length Formula and Geometric Combinatorics." Séminaire Lotharingien de Combinatoire 46 (2001): article B46f. |
37 | Duality Number of Involutions in Sn | Pak, I. "Hook Length Formula and Geometric Combinatorics." Séminaire Lotharingien de Combinatoire 46 (2001): article B46f. |
38 | Direct bijective Proof of the Hook Length Formula | Novelli, J. C., I. Pak, and A. V. Stoyanovsky. "A direct bijective proof of the hook-length formula." Discrete Mathematics and Theoretical Computer Science 1 (1997): 53-67. |
39 | Introduction to Tilings Thurston's Theorem | Thurston, W. P. "Conway's tiling groups." Amer Math Monthly 97, no. 8 (1990): 757-773. |