MATH429-12S1 (C) Semester One 2012
Combinatorics

Description

Matroids (also called combinatorial geometries) are precisely the structures that underlie the solution of many combinatorial optimization problems.  These problems include scheduling and timetabling, and finding the minimum cost of a communications network between cities. Given this, it is perhaps surprising that matroid theory unifies the notions of linear independence in linear algebra and forests in graph theory as well as the notions of duality for graphs and codes.

This self-contained course is an introduction to matroid theory, a branch of discrete mathematics that has basic connections with graphs, codes, projective geometries, and combinatorial optimisation. The course is intended for students majoring in Mathematics or Computer Science.

Pre-requisites

For further information see Mathematics and Statistics.