Lecture: | 4 hours/week |
and | |
Tutorial: | 1 hour/week |
Lectures, problem sessions, tutorial sessions and assignments
1. Cardinality of Sets
2. Advanced Counting
- Recurrence Relations
- Generating Functions
- Inclusion-Exclusion
3. Relations
- Equivalence Relations
- Partial Orders
4. Graphs
- Graph Isomorphism
- Connectivity
- Paths and Circuits
- Planarity
- Colouring
5. Trees
- Tree Traversal
- Spanning Trees
6. (Optional) Algorithms and Complexity
- Worst Case and Average Case Time Complexity of an Algorithm
Upon completion of this course, successful students will be able to:
- determine whether or not two sets have the same cardinality.
- determine whether a set is countable or uncountable.
- apply Cantor’s diagonalization argument to show that a set is uncountable.
- create a recurrence relation to model a problem.
- solve recurrence relations iteratively.
- solve linear homogeneous and nonhomogeneous recurrence relations with constant coefficients.
- apply the inclusion-exclusion principle to solve counting problems.
- solve counting problems related to the number of onto functions from one finite set to another.
- count the number of derangements of a given arrangement.
- derive the generating function determined by a sequence.
- describe the sequence represented by a generating function.
- use ordinary generating functions to solve counting problems.
- use a generating function to solve a recurrence relation.
- determine if a relation is an equivalence relation.
- determine the equivalence classes of an equivalence relation.
- describe the relationship between partitions and equivalence classes.
- use Stirling numbers of the second kind to count the number of partitions of a set of n elements.
- determine if a relation is a partial order.
- determine if a partial order is a total order, lexicographic order, or a lattice.
- identify maximal and minimal elements, greatest and least elements of a partial order, and when a partial order is bounded.
- draw a Hasse diagram of a poset.
- describe properties of a graph using the vocabulary of graph theory.
- represent a graph using adjacency and incidence matrices.
- determine whether or not a pair of graphs are isomorphic.
- use operations on graphs to create new graphs.
- find different paths or circuits of a graph.
- describe the connectivity of a graph.
- determine whether or not a graph has an Euler or Hamilton path or circuit.
- model and solve problems with a graph.
- use Dijkstra’s algorithm to find the shortest path between pairs of vertices in a weighted graph.
- find a planar rendering of a planar graph.
- use Euler's formula to find conditions of planarity.
- use Kuratowski's theorem to determine when a graph is not planar.
- find the chromatic number of a graph.
- solve scheduling/conflict problems using graph colouring.
- use the terminology of trees to describe their properties.
- model a problem using a decision tree.
- construct a binary tree to represent a given prefix system.
- apply Huffman coding to construct an optimal prefix code to encrypt and decrypt strings of characters.
- find the representation of a tree traversal using preorder, inorder and postorder forms.
- use a binary tree to represent and evaluate an expression in prefix, postfix or infix notation.
- use a depth-first or breadth-first search to produce a spanning tree.
- use Prim’s and Kruskal’s algorithm to construct a minimum spanning tree for a weighted graph.
Optional topics:
- compare the time complexity of recursive and iterative algorithms that solve a problem.
- form a binary search tree using a recursive algorithm and analyze the algorithm.
- use a loop invariant to prove that a program segment is correct.
- describe an algorithm that generates the permutations of a set.
- determine a big-O estimate of divide-and-conquer recurrence algorithms.
- describe the average and worst-case complexity of algorithms.
Assessment will be carried out in accordance with Douglas College Evaluation policy. The instructor will present a written course outline with specific evaluation criteria at the beginning of the semester. Evaluation will be based on the following:
Weekly quizzes | 0-40% |
Term tests | 20-70% |
Assignments | 0-20% |
Attendance | 0-5% |
Participation | 0-5% |
Tutorials | 0-10% |
Final exam | 30-40% |
Total | 100% |
Consult the Douglas College Bookstore for the latest required textbooks and materials. Example textbooks and materials may include:
Rosen, H.R., Discrete Mathematics and Its Applications, current edition, McGraw Hill.
Grimaldi, R.P, Discrete and Combinatorial Mathematics: An Applied Introduction, current edition, Pearson.