Discrete Mathematics and Its Applications [Hardcover]

Kenneth H. Rosen (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0072930330 | ISBN-13: 978-0072930337 | Publication Date: April 22, 2003 | Edition: 5

Discrete Mathematics and its Applications is a focused introduction to the primary themes in a discrete mathematics course, as introduced through extensive applications, expansive discussion, and detailed exercise sets. These themes include mathematical reasoning, combinatorial analysis, discrete structures, algorithmic thinking, and enhanced problem-solving skills through modeling. Its intent is to demonstrate the relevance and practicality of discrete mathematics to all students. The Fifth Edition includes a more thorough and linear presentation of logic, proof types and proof writing, and mathematical reasoning. This enhanced coverage will provide students with a solid understanding of the material as it relates to their immediate field of study and other relevant subjects. The inclusion of applications and examples to key topics has been significantly addressed to add clarity to every subject. True to the Fourth Edition, the text-specific web site supplements the subject matter in meaningful ways, offering additional material for students and instructors. Discrete math is an active subject with new discoveries made every year. The continual growth and updates to the web site reflect the active nature of the topics being discussed. The book is appropriate for a one- or two-term introductory discrete mathematics course to be taken by students in a wide variety of majors, including computer science, mathematics, and engineering. College Algebra is the only explicit prerequisite.

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.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 896 pages
• Publisher: McGraw-Hill Science/Engineering/Math; 5 edition (April 22, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0072930330
• ISBN-13: 978-0072930337
• Product Dimensions: 10.2 x 8.3 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 2.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #685,393 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Reasonably good text, very poor student/instructor guides., March 29, 2005

By 

Nobody's Business - See all my reviews

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

The text itself is brief, but still a good overview of discrete mathematics. The main problem is the student and instructor guides. The answers frequently have errors and problems are not reiterated in the text, so a student or a grader has to flip back and forth between at least two books to make sense of the solutions. Even more frustrating for students is the fact that some problems do not have good answers: the author admits that he cannot solve the problem and refers to answers from other problems instead. This is simply not fair to students who may be struggling with the material.

As a teaching assistant, it is not up to me to select the text books. If it were, I would look for a replacement.

20 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars No beauty here, February 25, 2004

By A Customer

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

On the surface this seems like a great book - all of the topics in a Discrete Mathematics course are covered, the information is cleanly laid out, and the quality of the binding is excellent. At closer observation, though, this book has some serious flaws that should keep it from being considered from any universitie's curriculum.

Discrete math should be the class that introduces students to the beauty that can be found in math through proofs. Proofs are the foundation of mathematics and - especailly in an introductory text - should be comprehensive. This book leaves out important steps in a good deal of the proofs, making the proofs themselves hard to read. This should be an easy, clear class for anyone intrested in math. If you are struggling, you owe it to yourself to find a real text on proofs to see what mathematical beauty really is.

My advise is - if you have to use this text - buy a good book on proofs and another good book on number theory. There are plenty on Amazon.

10 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Definitely not a good textbook, September 14, 2004

By 

Bookworm (Alameda, CA United States) - See all my reviews

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

Attention, students! Don't be fooled by those words like "best book in the field", "unrivaled content."

This book contains lots of examples but NONE of them is interesting. Really. The explanations are too vague. Mr Rosen must be thinking that an "obvious" example needs no further explanation.

I've read a few math books and found a lot of fascinating applications but the applications in this book are just too theoretical rather than practical.

The stuff about Logic (the very beginning section) is more confusing than really useful, especially the section about how to translate between English sentences and mathematical statements.

I believe there are much better books out there. Before you buy this book, think carefully.