Combinatorics Study Group
 

"Singularity Analysis of Generating Functions---A Perspective"

You are invited to attend a seminar by Philippe Flajolet, Algorithms Project, INRIA Rocquencourt, France, to be held at Queen Mary, University of London, 15 February 2008.

The speaker is an author of the forthcoming book "Analytic Combinatorics" by Flajolet and Sedgewick, Cambridge University Press, 2008.


Abstract

Generating functions are recognized as the central objects of combinatorial enumeration. Their singularities convey information that leads to precise asymptotic estimates of counting sequences as well as useful quantitative estimates regarding parameters of structures. The talk will present the general theory, which is strongly based on complex analysis, and will illustrate it by means of examples drawn from drawn from combinatorics of words, trees, permutations, allocations, and graphs. Closure properties, the treatment of functional equations, and the extraction of limit laws will be discussed.


The seminar talk will take place at 4:30pm in G2. Refreshments will be served in the Mathematics Common Room.

Contact: Thomas Prellberg, School of Mathematical Sciences, Queen Mary, University of London


Support for this event from the School of Mathematical Sciences, Queen Mary, University of London, is gratefully acknowledged.