Discrete Mathematics

Revised for extra clarity, the distinguishing characteristic of Ross and Wright is a sound mathematical treatment that increases smoothly in sophistication. The text presents utility-grade discrete math tools so students can understand them, use them, and move on to more advanced mathematical topics. - NEW - Over 270 supplementary exercises - All with answers. - Provides students with questions typical of the ones they should be able to answer after completing the chapters. - NEW - Full chapter on discrete probability. - Uses binomial random variables to gently motivate the existence and usefulness of the Gaussian distribution. - NEW - Chapter on algebraic structures - Applies permutation groups to combinatorial problems, and discusses the Chinese Remainder Theorem with applications to fast arithmetic and polynomial interpolation. - Provides a nice new option for many instructors. - NEW - Matrix multiplication is now deferred until Chapter 11 - Where it is first needed. - Provides a better organized and clearer text. - NEW - Boolean algebra isomorphism coverage moved - Now at the end of the Boolean Algebra chapter. - Helps students more easily understand this concept. - Comprehensive coverage of logic and proofs - Several sections, including one consisting of interactive exercises, give practical guidance for writing proofs. All important results are proved, not just stated. - Allows serious students to study the proofs or keep the book as a reference. - Introductory sections - Gives gentle, motivated warmup. - Establishes the importance of precision, examples, and abstraction as problem-solving tools. - Chapter on induction begins with loop invariants - Invariants, a natural and important concept from computer science, are not presented in isolation, but are also used to construct and verify important algorithms. - Full chapter on recursion. - Gives a mathematically clean and comprehensible treatment of recursion and recursive algorithms, central concepts that computer science students must understand. - Big-oh ideas introduced in the chapter on induction - Applied from then on to analyze efficiency of algorithms. - Provides good coverage of a topic important to CS students. - Office Hours sections - Scattered strategically in the book. - Addresses common student concerns and shows students how to approach the material. - Even more examples - Designed to motivate and illustrate the mathematical ideas as they are developed. - Allows the instructor to spend time on selected topics in class and assign reading to fill out the presentation. - Exercise sets - Include a complete range of problems, building smoothly from easy examples to more challenging uses of the methods and extensions of the ideas. - Develops abstract understanding and gives practice with proofs.