Discrete Mathematics and Its Applications [Hardcover]

Kenneth H. Rosen (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0072899050 | ISBN-13: 978-0072899054 | Publication Date: December 11, 1998 | Edition: 4th

This text is designed for the sophomore/junior level introduction to discrete mathematics taken by students preparing for future coursework in areas such as math, computer science and engineering. Rosen has become a bestseller largely due to how effectively it addresses the main portion of the discrete market, which is typically characterized as the mid to upper level in rigor. The strength of Rosen's approach has been the effective balance of theory with relevant applications, as well as the overall comprehensive nature of the topic coverage.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Kenneth H. Rosen is a Distinguished Member of the Technical Staff at AT&T Laboratories in Middletown, New Jersey. His current assignment involves the assessment of new technology and the creation of new services for AT&T. Dr. Rosen has written several leading textbooks and many articles. Rosen received his Ph.D. from MIT. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 824 pages
• Publisher: McGraw-Hill Science/Engineering/Math; 4th edition (December 11, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0072899050
• ISBN-13: 978-0072899054
• Product Dimensions: 10.2 x 8.2 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (54 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #69,061 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

46 of 51 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The best Discrete Math book, but..., January 6, 2001

By 

Jonathan D. Decarlo (Thomaston, Connecticut USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Discrete Mathematics and Its Applications (Hardcover)

This is probably the best Discrete Math book that I have found. It's very thorough and covers all the topics of Discrete Mathematics that one would expect it to. There is a proof for most major theorems and numerous examples.

The "but..." is that this book, like almost every math text that I have ever come across, is NOT very readable and gets EXTREMELY boring at parts. I would say that math books can only be so interesting, but I have come across one math text that I honestly enjoyed from beginning to end: "Linear Algebra and Its Applications," by Lay. That book is proof that it can be done, but this book sure isn't.

Also, one last word of advise... I found that the student solutions guide that was written for this text is a must have. It has the worked out solutions to many of the books problems, which is a big help considering that Discrete Math is all about how you found the answer.

44 of 49 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Mediocre book costs a fortune, September 27, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Discrete Mathematics and Its Applications (Hardcover)

Discrete mathematics is a difficult subject. If God himself wrote the best book there could ever be on Discrete Mathematics, and if God was your professor, believe me, it would still be a hard class. The point is: the subject matter is difficult to grasp and this book does little to help you understand anything.

This book is not very good. Here's why: It does not explain Big-0, Big-Omega, Big Theta and other important topics. The author gives the formal definition, but does NOT provide any worked out solutions from which you can follow and learn. In the back of each section where all the problems are listed, the author introduces NEW material that is VERY important to know. So you have to play "detective" with this book and take a "forensic" approach if you want to learn anything. The book tells you to look a few sections ahead to find a definition that will allow you to solve a problem in the current section. The author uses MANY run-on sentences in the book when trying to explain important concepts. Some sections are good though. The sections on logic and sets are good because they actually HAVE worked out problems that are systematic and don't skip steps.

Why can't you just pick up a book, read it and learn? If that's what you want to do, this book's not for you. If you want to spend hours and hours in the library reading over and over but not learning much, then I suggest you buy this book.

If you are the type of person who learns best by reading a textbook and doing the exercises, don't waste your money on this book because the section on the "Growth of Functions" has NOT ONE example of how to prove if f(x) is O( g(x) ), or if f(x) is big-Omega( g(x) ), or if f(x) is big-Theta( g(x) ), for example. The book has all the formal definitions written down for you, but no problems are worked out algebraically. It does not point out the common pitfalls or anything like that either.

16 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A must have companion to Rosen's book, January 6, 2001

By 

Jonathan D. Decarlo (Thomaston, Connecticut USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Student Solutions Guide for Discrete Mathematics and Its Applications (Paperback)

The other reviewer was obviously talking about "Discrete Math and Its Applications," which is the actual text book. This book is the student solutions guide for that text. So don't buy this book thinking that it is a text book, because this book was only meant to suppliment the text.

I found that this guide was a must have companion to "Discrete Math and Its Applications." It has the worked out solutions to many of the exercises in the text, which is very helpful. All-in-all, a definite must-have suppliment to the text.