Robin J. Wilson

Discrete Mathematics is one of the fastest growing areas in mathematics today with an ever-increasing number of courses in schools and universities. Graphs and Applications is based on a highly successful Open University course and the authors have paid particular attention to the presentation, clarity and arrangement of the material, making it ideally suited for independent study and classroom use. An important part of learning graph theory is problem solving; for this reason large numbers of examples, problems (with full solutions) and exercises (without solutions) are included.

This book gives an engaging overview of the advances in graph theory during the 20th century. The authors, all subject experts, considered hundreds of original papers, picking out key developments and some of the notable milestones in the subject. This carefully researched volume leads the reader from the struggles of the early pioneers, through the rapid expansion of the subject in the 1960s and 1970s, up to the present day, with graph theory now a part of mainstream mathematics. After an opening chapter giving an overview of graph theory and its legacy from the 18th and 19th centuries, the book is organized thematically into seven chapters, each covering the developments made in a specified area. Topics covered in these chapters include map colorings, planarity, Hamiltonian graphs, matchings, extremal graph theory, and complexity. Each chapter is supplemented with copious endnotes, providing additional comments, bibliographic details, and further context. Written as an accessible account of the history of the subject, this book is suitable not only for graph theorists, but also for anyone interested in learning about the history of this fascinating subject. Some basic knowledge of linear algebra and group theory would be helpful, but is certainly not essential.

The astonishing variety and beauty of mathematical elements in stamp design is brought to life in this collection of more than 350 stamps, each reproduced in enlarged format, in full color. With simple explantory text to accompany each stamp, the book makes the perfect gift for students, teachers, and anyone interested in the fascinating world of stamps, and mathematics.

In recent years graph theory has emerged as a subject in its own right, as well as being an important mathematical tool in such diverse subjects as operational research, chemistry, sociology and genetics. Robin Wilson’s book has been widely used as a text for undergraduate courses in mathematics, computer science and economics, and as a readable introduction to the subject for non-mathematicians.The opening chapters provide a basic foundation course, containing definitions and examples, connectedness, Eulerian and Hamiltonian paths and cycles, and trees, with a range of applications. This is followed by two chapters on planar graphs and colouring, with special reference to the four-colour theorem. The next chapter deals with transversal theory and connectivity, with applications to network flows. A final chapter on matroid theory ties together material from earlier chapters, and an appendix discusses algorithms and their efficiency.

The astonishing variety and beauty of mathematical elements in stamp design is brought to life in this collection of more than 350 stamps, each reproduced in enlarged format, in full color. With simple explantory text to accompany each stamp, the book makes the perfect gift for students, teachers, and anyone interested in the fascinating world of stamps, and mathematics.

The only text available on graph theory at the freshman/sophomore level, it covers properties of graphs, presents numerous algorithms, and describes actual applications to chemistry, genetics, music, linguistics, control theory and the social sciences. Illustrated.

First published in 1976, this book has been widely acclaimed both for its significant contribution to the history of mathematics and for the way that it brings the subject alive. Building on a set of original writings from some of the founders of graph theory, the book traces the historical development of the subject through a linking commentary. The relevant underlying mathematics is also explained, providing an original introduction to the subject for students. From reviews: 'The book...serves as an excellent examplein fact, as a modelof a new approach to one aspect of mathematics, when mathematics is considered as a living, vital and developing tradition.' (Edward A. Maziark in Isis) 'Biggs, Lloyd and Wilson's unusual and remarkable book traces the evolution and development of graph theory...Conceived in a very original manner and obviously written with devotion and a very great amount of painstaking historical research, it contains an exceptionally fine collection of source material, and to a graph theorist it is a treasure chest of fascinating historical information and curiosities with rich food for thought.' (Gabriel Dirac in Centaurus) 'The lucidity, grace and wit of the writing makes this book a pleasure to read and re-read.' (S. H. Hollingdale in Bulletin of the Institute of Mathematics and its Applications)