MTH 456/556
  Topics in Combinatorics  
Fall 2026 - PSU Campus - FMH 419
Syllabus,   Calendar,   Discussion Group,   Canvas
Section
(topics) 		By
(date) 		Read
(chapter) 		Practice
(just try!) 		Submit
(as HW)
Part 1

Counting and

Combinatorial

Proof

 		9/28
9/30
10/2 		 1.1 Counting, Products notes
 1.2 Overcounts, Sums notes
 1.3 Functions, Bijections notes 		Practice 1
solutions:
1A, 1B, 1C 		HW 1
solutions
10/5
10/7
10/9 		 1.4 Relations, Equivalence notes
 1.5 Pigeonhole Principle notes
 2.1 Counting Functions notes 		Practice 2
solutions:
2A, 2B, 2C 		HW 2
Due Oct 12
10/12
10/14
10/16 		 2.2 Subsets, Multisets
 2.3 Set Partitions
 2.4 Integer Partitions
Exam One 10/23 Covers material through 2.4
9:00am FMH 419
Part 2

Algebraic

Tools

and Number

Families

10/19
10/26
10/28 		 3.1 Inclusion/Exclusion
 3.3 Gen Functions I
 3.4 Gen Functions II
10/30
11/2
11/4 		 3.5 Recurrence Relations
 3.6 Linear Recurrences
 4.1 Bi/multinomial Coefs
11/6
11/9
11/13 		 4.2 Fibonacci, Lucas
 4.3 Stirling Numbers
 4.4 Partition Numbers
Exam Two 11/20 Covers material through 4.4
9:00am FMH 419
Part 3

Lattices

and Partial

Orders

 		11/16
11/23 		 8.1 Poset Examples
 8.2 Isomorphism and Sperner
11/25
11/30 		 8.3 Dilworth's Thm
 8.4 Dimension
Exam Three 12/7 Cumulative
9:00-10:50 FMH 419



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