Book Info
Introduces the mathematics that supports advanced
computer programming and the analysis of algorithms. Includes more than
500 exercises, with complete answers. DLC: Mathematics.
From the Back Cover
This book
introduces the mathematics that supports advanced computer programming
and the analysis of algorithms. The primary aim of its well-known
authors is to provide a solid and relevant base of mathematical skills
- the skills needed to solve complex problems, to evaluate horrendous
sums, and to discover subtle patterns in data. It is an indispensable
text and reference not only for computer scientists - the authors
themselves rely heavily on it! - but for serious users of mathematics
in virtually every discipline.
Concrete Mathematics is a
blending of CONtinuous and disCRETE mathematics. "More concretely," the
authors explain, "it is the controlled manipulation of mathematical
formulas, using a collection of techniques for solving problems." The
subject matter is primarily an expansion of the Mathematical
Preliminaries section in Knuth's classic Art of Computer Programming,
but the style of presentation is more leisurely, and individual topics
are covered more deeply. Several new topics have been added, and the
most significant ideas have been traced to their historical roots. The
book includes more than 500 exercises, divided into six categories.
Complete answers are provided for all exercises, except research
problems, making the book particularly valuable for self-study.
Major topics include:
- Sums
- Recurrences
- Integer functions
- Elementary number theory
- Binomial coefficients
- Generating functions
- Discrete probability
- Asymptotic methods
This
second edition includes important new material about mechanical
summation. In response to the widespread use of the first edition as a
reference book, the bibliography and index have also been expanded, and
additional nontrivial improvements can be found on almost every page.
Readers will appreciate the informal style of Concrete Mathematics.
Particularly enjoyable are the marginal graffiti contributed by
students who have taken courses based on this material. The authors
want to convey not only the importance of the techniques presented, but
some of the fun in learning and using them.
