Course: MCS 421, Combinatorics
CRN: 34232 and 34233
Time: MWF 900-950pm
Place: 307 Lincoln Hall (AH)

Professor: Dhruv Mubayi
Office: 620 SEO
Tel: 3-8036
E-mail: mubayi@uic.edu
Course Web Page: http://www.math.uic.edu/~mubayi/421/Spring20/421Spring20info.html
Office Hours: M 10-12

Grading Policies:
Attendance and class participation: 10%
Homework (due Friday roughly every two weeks): 15%
Two in-class midterms, 25% each: 50%
Final Exam: 25%
Be sure to staple your homework. No late homework will be accepted.

Disability Policy: Students with disabilities who require accommodations for access and participation in this course must be registered with the Office of Disability Services (ODS). Please contact ODS a 312/413/-2183 (voice) or 312/413-0123 (TTY).

Prerequisite: Prerequisite(s): Grade of C or better in MATH 215; and Grade of C or better in MATH 310 or Grade of C or better in MATH 320; or consent of the instructor.

Description: The pigeonhole principle, permutations and combinations, generating permutations and combinations, binomial coefficients, inclusion-exclusion principle, recurrence relations and generating functions, special counting sequences, Polya theory of counting. We will attempt to cover most of Chapters 1--8, 10, and 14 from the text.

Text: Brualdi, Introductory Combinatorics, Prentice Hall.

Homework 1, Due Friday January 24:
Chapter 1: 1, 2, 3, 25, 38, 43
Solutions to HW1

Homework 2, Due Friday February 14 (its somewhat long so start early)
Chapter 2: 1,2,5 a,b, 8,11,16,28 a, 38, 39 a,c, 42, 45 a,b
Chapter 3: 1, 2, 4, 5, 8, 22, 27
Solutions to HW2

TEST 1: Wednesday February 19

Homework 3, Due Friday February 28:
Chapter 4: 5, 8a, 20, 35, 37, 47,
Chapter 5: 11, 16, 18, 25, 48, 49
Solutions to HW3

Homework 4, Due Friday March 13:
Chapter 6: 2, 5, 6, 7, 10, 13, 19, 22, 23, 26
Solutions to HW4

SPRING BREAK March 23 -- 27 (NO CLASSES)

Homework 5, Due FRIDAY APRIL 10
Chapter 7: 1 (all parts), 5, 8, 9, 16, 17, 21, 26, 33, 34, 42, 47
Solutions to HW5

TEST 2: FRIDAY APRIL 10

Homework 6, Due Wednesday April 29 (LAST HOMEWORK)
Chapter 8: 1, 2, 9, 12, 19, 25, 26d
Solutions to HW6

TEST 3 = FINAL EXAM: FRIDAY May 1 (link will be activated at 8:45am on May 1)