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Math 2001: Discrete Mathematics, Spring 2011


Lecture Topics


Date
What we discussed/How we spent our time
Jan 10
Syllabus. Text. Overview of discrete math. What is 2+2?
Jan 12
Read Section 9, Set theory.

Intuitively, a set is an unordered collection of distinct objects (but formally we leave set and element undefined). We write x∈ S to indicate that x is an element of S.

We discussed some of the axioms of set theory, namely the axiom of the empty set, the axiom of extentionality, the pairing axiom and the ``baby version'' of the axiom of union. The full set of axioms is here. (We will discuss only eight of the ten axioms.) We constructed the numbers 0 = { }, 1 = {0}, 2 = {0, 1}, …. We defined the successor function S(X) = X ∪ {X}, and used it to define successors of numbers. We defined addition recursively by
(IC) n+0 = n, and
(RR) n+S(k) = S(n+k).

We pointed out that there are possible problems with the definition of addition if either of the following happens:
(1) 0=S(k) for some k, or
(2) S(k)=S(l) for some k ≠ l.
We then proved that 0 does not equal S(X) for any set X. We will later prove that S(X)≠S(Y) whenever X≠Y.

We proved that S(n) = n+1. We proved that 2+2=4.

Jan 14
Full version of axiom of union. Recursive definitions of multiplication and exponentiation:

(IC) n*0 = 0, and
(RR) n*S(k) = n*k + k.

(IC) n0 = 1, and
(RR) nS(k) = nk*n.

A proof that 2*2=4.

Subsets. Axiom of comprehension/subset. Axiom of power set. Definition of inductive set. Axiom of infinity. Definition of the natural numbers as the set of elements common to every inductive set. Axiom of foundation. A proof that S(X)≠S(Y) whenever X≠Y.

Jan 19
Read Sections 1-4.
Theorems and proof.
A theorem is a declarative statement that has a proof. Frequently theorem statements have the form (H→C), "hypotheses imply conclusions". We gave examples of theorem statements of following forms:
Thm. H→C
Thm. H↔C
Thm. C

We gave examples of direct proof.

Jan 21
Read Sections 5-6.
Counterexample.
To establish the truth or falsity of a statement about all objects of a given type, you typically must give a proof. To establish the truth or falsity of a statement about the existence of some object of a given type, you typically must give an example.

Boolean algebra/Boolean logic.
We defined simple and compound propositions. We gave truth tables for ∧ (and), ∨ (or), ¬ (not), → (implies), ↔ (if and only if). We defined logical equivalence, tautology and contradiction.

Jan 24
Read Section 19.
Quiz 1.

We showed that every proposition is equivalent to a proposition expressed using only ∧, ∨ and ¬.

We showed the equivalence of (H→ C), ((¬ C)→(¬H)), and ((H∧(¬C))→F). We used these equivalences to compare direct proof with proof of the contrapositive and proof by contradiction. We proved the following theorem in each of the three ways:

Thm. If 0<x<1, then x2<x.

Jan 26
We gave two famous proofs by contradiction: the proof of Russell's paradox and Euclid's proof that there are infinitely many primes.
We showed that the statement (H→ C) is not equivalent to its converse (C→ H).

Read Section 10.
Quantifiers. We introduced ∀ and ∃. We examined some simple statements involving quantifiers. We defined predicate.

Jan 28
We defined structures, atomic formulas, formulas and formula trees. We analyzed the following formulas:
∃x∀y(¬(y∈x)) (=The axiom of empty set.)
∀z((z∈x)→(z∈y)) (=The formula defining x⊆y.)
∀x∃y((x<y)∧ ∀z((x≤z)∧(z≤y))→((z=x)∨(z=y)))
Jan 31
Quiz 2.

Quantifier games: we discussed how to determine whether a sentence written in prenex form is true in a structure.

Feb 2
We discussed how to put a sentence in prenex form.
Feb 4
We practiced checking whether limits exist. Namely, we tested whether
∀ε>0 ∃δ>0 ∀x ((0<|x-a|<δ)→(|f(x)-L|<ε))
holds in the real numbers for certain choices of f, a, L.
Feb 7
Read Section 21.
Quiz 3.

We began discussing mathematical induction. The structure of a proof of a theorem using mathematical induction is:

Thm. An is true for all n∈ℕ.
Proof:
(Basis of induction, n=0) Prove A0.
(Inductive step) Assume that An is true. Prove An+1. □

We used the method to prove:

Thm. 0+1+2+…+n=n(n+1)/2 is true for all n∈ℕ.
Proof:
(Basis of induction, n=0) We proved 0 = 0(0+1)/2.
(Inductive step) We assumed that
0+1+2+…+n=n(n+1)/2
holds, and proved that
0+1+2+…+n+(n+1)=(n+1)(n+2)/2
also holds. □

Feb 9
This material is from Section 21.

We continued discussing mathematical induction. We described the method of ordinary induction. We illustrated ordinary induction by proving:

Thm. n<2n for all n∈ℕ.

In our proof we noticed that the following lemma would be helpful:

Lemma. n+1≤2n for all n∈ℕ.

But then we noticed that the lemma is only true when n≥1. We modified the lemma statement to

Lemma. (Corrected statement.) n+1≤2n for all natural numbers n≥1.

and proved the lemma. Then we had to go back and modify the proof of the theorem, by proving the cases n=0 and n=1 in the basis step, in order to apply the lemma.

We described the method of strong induction. We illustrated strong induction by proving that every natural number greater than one is a product of primes.

In the second half of the lecture we discussed how induction is almost always needed to prove statements about recursively defined objects. To illustrate this, we proved some laws of addition by induction.

Feb 11
We proved the theorem that says ``Induction works''. The proof was based on the fact that the natural numbers is defined to be the set of elements common to all inductive sets. We practiced proving statements with induction. Handout 1, Handout 2.
Feb 14
Read Section 23.
Quiz 4.

In preparation for our study of counting, we introduced enough terminology to be able to use the word "bijection". The new terminology includes: Cartesian product, relation (=subset of Cartesian product), function (= relation satisfying the Function Rule), injection (= one-to-one function), surjection (=onto function), bijection (= one-to-one and onto function). Function notation includes: f:A→B, f(a)=b, f:ℝ→ℝ:x↦x2.

Feb 16
Read Section 11.
We reviewed definitions about relations and functions. We observed that TFAE for a function f:A→B.

(i) f:A→B is a bijection.
(ii) Every element of A occurs as the first coordinate of a pair in f exactly once, and every element of B occurs as the second coordinate of a pair in f exactly once.
(iii) f-1:B→A is a bijection.
(iv) f-1:B→A is a function.

We defined |A|=|B|, |A|=n, finite, and infinite. We showed

(i) |A|=|A|.
(ii) If |A|=|B|, then |B|=|A|.
(iii) If |A|=|B| and |B|=|C|, then |A|=|C|.

and stated without proof that

(iv) If m, n∈ℕ and |m|=|n|, then m=n

We derived from the above that the cardinality of a finite set is uniquely determined.

We discussed the Sum Rule and the Product Rule.

Feb 18
We reviewed definitions about cardinality. We discussed the extension of the Sum Rule and Product Rule to k sets instead of 2 sets. We proved that there are mn functions f:A→B if |A|=n and |B|=m. (That is, the #f's is |B||A|.)
Feb 21
Read Sections 7 (Counting functions and injective functions), 8 (Factorials) and 16 (Binomial Coefficients).

Review Sheet for the Midterm Exam.

We recalled the proof that, if |A|=n and |B|=m, the number of functions f:A→B is mn. We then proved that

(i) The number of injective functions from A to B is
(m)n := m*(m-1)***(m-n+1).

(ii) The number of bijective functions from A to B is 0 if |A|≠|B| and (m)m = m! if |A|=|B|=m.

(iii) The number of ways to linearly order an m-element set is m!.

We defined the binomial coefficient, C(n;k), to be the number of k-element subsets of an n-element set. We showed that

C(n;k) = (n)k/k! = n!/(k!*(n-k)!).

Feb 23
We reviewed for the midterm.
Feb 25
Midterm!
Feb 28
We discussed the notion of a combinatorial proof. As a first example, we reviewed the proof that

C(n;k) = (n)k/k! = n!/(k!*(n-k)!).

We derived the recursion for binomial coefficients (initial conditions + Pascal's Identity). We discussed Pascal's Triangle.

Mar 2
We proved the unimodality and symmetry of the rows of Pascal's Triangle. We proved that the sum along the nth row of Pascal's Triangle is 2n. We proved the Binomial Theorem.
Mar 4
We spent some time discussing definitions, because there were problems with definitions on the midterm. The discussion involved specifying precisely what is meant by a ``definition''. Possible problems with definitions that we identified were:
(i) Circularity. (`Defn.' A tiger is a big cat. `Defn.' A cat is a small tiger.)
(ii) Ambiguity/vagueness. (`Defn.' A function from A to B is a rule that assigns a unique element of B to each element of A.)
(iii) Including assertions within definitions. ( `Defn.' The natural numbers is the set of elements common to all inductive sets. The set of natural numbers is inductive. 0 is the least natural number.)
(iv) Multiply defining a word. (`Defn.' e is the base of the natural logarithm. It is also the base of the exponential function y = ax that satisfies y' = y.)

[NOTE: all the ``definitions'' written in parentheses in (i)-(iv) contain errors.]

Mar 7
We defined unordered partitions and ordered partitions. We showed that the number of unordered partitions of n elements into cells of sizes (k1,k2,…,kr) is C(n;k1,k2,…,kr) = n!/k1!k2!…kr!. We noted that C(n;k)=C(n;k1,k2). We defined the fiber of a function f:A→B over an element b∈B. We argued that if |A|=n and |B|=r, then the number of functions f:A→B with specified fiber sizes (k1,k2,…,kr) is C(n;k1,k2,…,kr). We proved Pascal's Identity for multinomial coefficients and stated the Multinomial Theorem. We did some practice problems involving multinomial coefficients.
Mar 9
Read Section 17 (Multisets).

We showed that a number of counting problems can be solved with the same formula:

1. How many terms are in the multinomial expansion of (x1+…+xn)k?
2. For a given n and k, how many solutions in ℕ are there to
e1+…+en = k?
3. How many ways are there to distribute k identical objects to n distinct recipients?
4. How many strings of k zeros and n-1 ones are there?
5. How many k-element multisets may be formed from an n-element source set?

Before posing problem 5, we defined a multiset (with finite multiplicities) to be a pair M = (S,m) where S is a source set and m:S→ℕ is a multiplicity function. The size of this multiset is defined to be &Sigmax∈ S m(x). We introduced a notation for n-multichoose-k, which is the number that solves each of the above problems. We derived a formula for n-multichoose-k. We gave a recursion for the multichoose numbers. We solved some practice problems.

Mar 11
We worked on practice problems about distributions. Solutions.
Mar 14
Read Section 18 (Inclusion/Exclusion).
Quiz 5.

After the quiz, we discussed extending the Sum Rule to a rule for computing the union of two nondisjoint sets. The formulas we obtained were:

|A∪B| = |A-B|+|A∩B|+|B-A|, and
|A∪B| = |A|+|B|-|A∩B|.

By induction we can extend the second formula to a formula, called the principle of inclusion and exclusion, to compute the size of a union of n arbitrary sets. Details are in this handout. Solutions are in this document.

Mar 16
We discussed the "properties" formulation of the principle of inclusion and exclusion, and applied it to some counting problems.
Mar 18
We used inclusion/exclusion to derive a formula for the number of surjective functions from an n-element set to a k-element set. We defined the Stirling numbers of the second kind, and showed that the number of surjective functions from an n-element set to a k-element set is k!*S(n,k). We examined the table of Stirling numbers, and derived a recurrence for them.
Mar 21-25
Spring Break!
Mar 28
Read Sections 15 (Partitions) & 14 (Equivalence Relations).

We reviewed and extended terminology about functions:

Old definitions:
1. f:A→B is a function from A to B.
2. A = dom(f) is the domain of f.
3. B = codom(f) ( = ran(f)) is the codomain of f (or the range of f).
4. f -1(b) = {a∈A | f(a)=b} is the fiber of f over b (or the inverse image of b).
5. im(f) = {b∈B | ∃a∈ A (f(a)=b)} is the image of f. (This is the set of elements of B whose fiber is nonempty.)

New definitions:
6. coim(f), the coimage of f, is the set of nonempty fibers of f.
7. If I is a subset of B, then the inclusion function is the function inc:I→B:x↦x.
8. If P is a partition of A, then the natural function is the function nat:A→P:x↦[x]. ([x] is the cell of P that contains x.)

We proved some theorems.

Thm.
1. If f:A→B is a function, then the image of f is a subset of B.
2. Conversely, if I is a subset of B, then I is the image of some function, namely the inclusion function inc:I→B.

Thm.
1. If f:A→B is a function, then the coimage of f is a partition of A.
2. Conversely, if P is a partition of A, then P is the coimage of some function, namely the natural function nat:A→P.

Thm. (Canonical Factorization of a Function)
If f:A→B is a function, then there is a unique function f:coim(f)→im(f) such that f = inc∘f∘nat. The function f is defined by f([x]) := f(x), and it is a bijection from coim(f) to im(f). (f is called the induced function.)

Mar 30
We reviewed the concepts introduced in the previous lecture, and identified a list of complementary concepts: "domain" & "codomain"; "coimage" & "image"; "natural function" & "inclusion function"; "surjection" & "injection"; "partition" & "subset". We contrasted the set of subsets of a set ordered by inclusion with the set of partitions of a set ordered by refinement. These ordered sets are divided into levels, whose sizes are measured by the binomial coefficients and the Stirling numbers respectively. We defined the Bell numbers, and examined their small values. We observed that 2n-1≤Bn≤n! when n=0,1,…,6, and started on a combinatorial proof that these inequalities hold for all n.
Apr 1
We defined the kernel of a function (ker(f) = {(u,v)∈A×A | f(u)=f(v)}). We then defined equivalence relation, and proved that the kernel of any function f:A→B is an equivalence relation on A. We defined equivalence class, and introduced the notation [a]E and A/E. We proved that if E is an equivalence relation on A, then A/E is a partition of E.
Apr 4
Quiz 6.

We discussed the bijection between equivalence relations ( = abstractions of kernels of functions) and partitions ( = abstractions of coimages of functions). We began a construction of the integers.

Apr 6
We followed this handout to construct the integers. We explained the construction of the set ℤ, how to identify ℕ with the nonnegative elements of ℤ, and how to define the operations -x, x+y and xy on ℤ.
Apr 8
We discussed how to show that the operations of ℤ are well-defined. We also discussed how to prove rules of integer arithmetic.
Apr 11
Read Section 46 (Graphs).
Quiz 7.

We discussed the idea of a graph. We explained the solutions to the Seven Bridges of Königsberg Problem and the Icosian Problem (= Around the World game).

Apr 13
Read Section 47.

We began discussing graph theory terminology. We proved that the sum of the degrees of the vertices of a finite graph is twice the number of edges, and derived from this that any finite graph has an even number of edges of odd degree. We observed that any pair of distinct points connected by a walk or trail is also connected by a path.

Apr 15
Read Section 48.

The relation "connected to" is an equivalence relation on the vertex set of a graph. The equivalence classes are the connected components.

Euler's Thm. A connected (multi)graph has a closed Eulerian trail iff all vertices have even degree and has an open Eulerian trail iff exactly two vertices have odd degree.

Ore's Thm. A graph G=(V,E) with |V|≥3 that satisfies

(*) whenever u, v∈V are nonadjacent, deg(u)+deg(v)≥n

has a Hamiltonian cycle.

Apr 18
Read Section 50.

Quiz 8.

We completed the proof of

Ore's Thm. A graph G=(V,E) with |V|≥3 that satisfies

(*) whenever u, v∈V are nonadjacent, deg(u)+deg(v)≥n

has a Hamiltonian cycle.

We began to discuss isomorphism of graphs.

Apr 20
We introduced the Petersen graph. We defined subgraph, spanning subgraph, and induced subgraph. We defined the complement of a graph and self-complementary graphs. We defined independent sets and the independence number and cliques and the clique number. We defined distance and diameter. We discussed how to write "the diameter is at least 3" as a formal sentence.
Apr 22
Map coloring.
Apr 25
We completed the map coloring notes. A review sheet was distributed.
Apr 27
We proved Euler's Formula, and used it to show that K5 and K3,3 are nonplanar. We stated Kuratowski's Theorem, which characterizes planar graphs.
Apr 29
We reviewed for the final exam.