Computing the Continuous Discretely

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Format: Hardcover
Pub. Date: 2006-12-01
Publisher(s): Springer Verlag
List Price: $53.97

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Summary

This much-anticipated textbook illuminates the field of discrete mathematics with examples, theory, and applications of the discrete volume of a polytope. The authors have weaved a unifying thread through basic yet deep ideas in discrete geometry, combinatorics, and number theory. Because there is no other book that puts together all of these ideas in one place, this text is truly a service to the mathematical community. We encounter here a friendly invitation to the field of "counting integer points in polytopes", also known as Ehrhart theory, and its various connections to elementary finite Fourier analysis, generating functions, the Frobenius coin-exchange problem, solid angles, magic squares, Dedekind sums, computational geometry, and more. With 250 exercises and open problems, the reader will feel like an active participant, and the authors' engaging style will encourage such participation. For teachers, this text is ideally suited as a capstone course for undergraduate students or as a compelling text in discrete mathematical topics for beginning graduate students. For scientists, this text can be utilized as a quick tooling device, especially for those who want a self-contained, easy-to-read introduction to these topics.

Table of Contents

Part I The Essentials of Discrete Volume Computations
1 The Coin-Exchange Problem of Frobenius
3
1.1 Why Use Generating Functions?
3
1.2 Two Coins
5
1.3 Partial Fractions and a Surprising Formula
7
1.4 Sylvester's Result
11
1.5 Three and More Coins
13
Notes
15
Exercises
17
Open Problems
23
2 A Gallery of Discrete Volumes
25
2.1 The Language of Polytopes
25
2.2 The Unit Cube
26
2.3 The Standard Simplex
29
2.4 The Bernoulli Polynomials as Lattice-Point Enumerators of Pyramids
31
2.5 The Lattice-Point Enumerators of the Cross-Polytopes
36
2.6 Pick's Theorem
38
2.7 Polygons with Rational Vertices
41
2.8 Euler's Generating Function for General Rational Polytopes
45
Notes
48
Exercises
50
Open Problems
54
3 Counting Lattice Points in Polytopes: The Ehrhart Theory
57
3.1 Triangulations and Pointed Cones
57
3.2 Integer-Point Transforms for Rational Cones
60
3.3 Expanding and Counting Using Ehrhart's Original Approach
64
3.4 The Ehrhart Series of an Integral Polytope
67
3.5 From the Discrete to the Continuous Volume of a Polytope
71
3.6 Interpolation
73
3.7 Rational Polytopes and Ehrhart Quasipolynomials
75
3.8 Reflections on the Coin-Exchange Problem and the Gallery of Chapter 2
76
Notes
76
Exercises
77
Open Problems
82
4 Reciprocity
83
4.1 Generating Functions for Somewhat Irrational Cones
84
4.2 Stanley's Reciprocity Theorem for Rational Cones
86
4.3 Ehrhart—Macdonald Reciprocity for Rational Polytopes
87
4.4 The Ehrhart Series of Reflexive Polytopes
88
4.5 More "Reflections" on Chapters 1 and 2
90
Notes
90
Exercises
91
Open Problems
93
5 Face Numbers and the Dehn—Sommerville Relations in Ehrhartian Terms
95
5.1 Face It!
95
5.2 Dehn—Sommerville Extended
97
5.3 Applications to the Coefficients of an Ehrhart Polynomial
98
5.4 Relative Volume
100
Notes
102
Exercises
103
Open Problems
104
6 Magic Squares
105
6.1 It's a Kind of Magic
106
6.2 Semimagic Squares: Points in the Birkhoff—von Neumann Polytope
108
6.3 Magic Generating Functions and Constant-Term Identities
111
6.4 The Enumeration of Magic Squares
116
Notes
117
Exercises
119
Open Problems
120
Part II Beyond the Basics
7 Finite Fourier Analysis
123
7.1 A Motivating Example
123
7.2 Finite Fourier Series for Periodic Functions on Z
125
7.3 The Finite Fourier Transform and Its Properties
129
7.4 The Parseval Identity
131
7.5 The Convolution of Finite Fourier Series
133
Notes
135
Exercises
135
8 Dedekind Sums
139
8.1 Fourier—Dedekind Sums and the Coin-Exchange Problem Revisited
139
8.2 The Dedekind Sum and Its Reciprocity and Computational Complexity
143
8.3 Rademacher Reciprocity for the Fourier—Dedekind Sum
144
8.4 The Mordell—Pommersheim Tetrahedron
147
Notes
150
Exercises
151
Open Problems
153
9 The Decomposition of a Polytope into Its Cones
155
9.1 The Identity "Σmelement of zzm = 0" ...or "Much Ado About Nothing"
155
9.2 Tangent Cones and Their Rational Generating Functions
159
9.3 Brion's Theorem
160
9.4 Brion Implies Ehrhart
162
Notes
163
Exercises
164
10 Euler–Maclaurin Summation in Rd
167
10.1 Todd Operators and Bernoulli Numbers
167
10.2 A Continuous Version of Brion's Theorem
170
10.3 Polytopes Have Their Moments
172
10.4 From the Continuous to the Discrete Volume of a Polytope
174
Notes
176
Exercises
177
Open Problems
178
11 Solid Angles
179
11.1 A New Discrete Volume Using Solid Angles
179
11.2 Solid-Angle Generating Functions and a Brion-Type Theorem
182
11.3 Solid-Angle Reciprocity and the Brianchon—Gram Relations
184
11.4 The Generating Function of Macdonald's Solid-Angle Polynomials
188
Notes
189
Exercises
189
Open Problems
190
12 A Discrete Version of Green's Theorem Using Elliptic Functions
191
12.1 The Residue Theorem
191
12.2 The Weierstraß and ζ Functions
193
12.3 A Contour-Integral Extension of Pick's Theorem
195
Notes
196
Exercises
196
Open Problems
197
Appendix: Triangulations of Polytopes 199
Hints for black club Exercises 203
References 211
List of Symbols 221
Index 223

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