Combinatorics of Compositions and Words

Highlighting both established and new results, this book provides an introduction to the methods used in the combinatorics of pattern avoidance and pattern enumeration in compositions and words. It describes the strengths and weaknesses of a wide variety of solution techniques and approaches, presents a historical overview of the field, and illustrates new methods and definitions with worked examples. The text also incorporates the use of Maple™, Mathematica®, and C++ to perform computations. It includes a comprehensive bibliography, exercises at the end of each chapter, and directions for future research. A solutions manual is available for qualifying instructors.