Description
Analytic Combinatorics teaches a calculus that enables precise quantitative predictions of large combinatorial structures. This course introduces the symbolic method to derive functional relations among ordinary, exponential, and multivariate generating functions, and methods in complex analysis for deriving accurate asymptotics from the GF equations.
All the features of this course are available for free. It does not offer a certificate upon completion.
What you will learn
Combinatorial Structures and OGFs
Our first lecture is about the symbolic method, where we define combinatorial constructions that we can use to define classes of combinatorial objects. The constructions are integrated with transfer theorems that lead to equations that define generating functions whose coefficients enumerate the classes. We consider numerous examples from classical combinatorics.
Labelled Structures and EGFs
This lecture introduces labelled objects, where the atoms that we use to build objects are distinguishable. We use exponential generating functions EGFs to study combinatorial classes built from labelled objects. As in Lecture 1, we define combinatorial constructions that lead to EGF equations, and consider numerous examples from classical combinatorics.
Combinatorial Parameters and MGFs
This lecture describes the process of adding variables to mark parameters and then using the constructions form Lectures 1 and 2 and natural extensions of the transfer theorems to define multivariate GFs that contain information about parameters. We concentrate on bivariate generating functions (BGFs), where one variable marks the size of an object and the other marks the value of a parameter. After studying ways of computing the mean, standard deviation and other moments from BGFs, we consider several examples in some detail.
Complex Analysis, Rational and Meromorphic Asymptotics
This week we introduce the idea of viewing generating functions as analytic objects, which leads us to asymptotic estimates of coefficients. The approach is most fruitful when we consider GFs as complex functions, so we introduce and apply basic concepts in complex analysis. We start from basic principles, so prior knowledge of complex analysis is not required.
