Combinatorics

Instructor Info

• Name: Bojan Mohar
• Email: mohar (at) sfu (dot) ca
• Office Hours: Mon. 2:30-3:30
• Lectures: Wed 9:30-11:20 @ K9509 / Fri 14:30-16:20 @ K9509

Textbook

A Course in Combinatorics by J. H. van Lint and R.M. Wilson, Second Edition, Cambridge University Press 2001.
Additional course notes may be distributed.

Grade Division

• Homework: 60%
• Paper presentation or project: 40%

Rough Outline

• Lecture #1: Extremal set theory
• Presentation 1: Chromatic number of Kneser graphs
• Presentation 2: Decomposition of edges of K(10) into Petersen graphs
• Lecture #2: Finite geometries and designs
• Presentation 3: Resolvable designs
• Presentation 4: Steiner triple systems and triangular embeddings of complete graphs
• Lecture #3: Codes
• Presentation 5: s-arc-transitivity
• Lecture #4: Strongly regular graphs
• Presentation 6: Paley graphs and pseudo-random properties
• Lecture #5: Association schemes
• Presentation 7: Eigenvalues and eigenspaces of the Johnson scheme
• Presentation 8: Tales of Hoffman

Each of the above lecture topics will take about 1-2 weeks or more.

Homework (due a week after being appointed): NOT AVAILABLE BEFORE THE DATE SHOWN

• Homework Assignment #1 (January 19)
• Homework Assignment #2 (February 7)
• Homework Assignment #3 (February 28)
• Homework Assignment #4 (March 7)
• Homework Assignment #5 (March 23)
• Take home exam (March 28)