Seminar on Proofs by Counting (HWS 2021/
Lecturer: Dr. Makiko Mase (University Mannheim, Chair for Algebraic Geometry)
The seminar will be held in english. It will follow the book:
- Arthur T. Benjamin and Jennifer J. Quinn:
Proofs That Really Count. The Art of Combinatorial Proof.
The Dolciani Mathematical Expositions, The Mathematical Association of America 2003.
The textbook reduces proofs of formulas into counting problems. Such a combinatorial method, though elementary, is surprisingly powerful. It leads to concrete proofs, and it inspires us to a new understanding of old theorems or to discover new identities. So the book above is ideal for a seminar as an introduction to combinatorial proofs.
The seminar will take place in the HWS 2021 on Thursdays and by Zoom sessions. Here is a pdf file with more information on the planning of the seminar.
The seminar requires a general good mathematical understanding, but has little concrete prerequisites. It is suitable for all students in the bachelor or master Mathematics in Business and Economics and all students in the bachelor or master Education Mathematics.
If you are interested in a talk, please contact Dr. Mase until 10.09.2021 (but the earlier, the better).