Customer Reviews

Discrete Mathematics with Applications

5 star:		(23)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

I used an earlier edition of this textbook in a discrete mathematics class that was required for those of us with a non-CS background enrolled in a MSCS program at Virginia Tech, and I found this to be an excellent and complete book on the subject. If you find yourself enrolled in a class using this book, you can be sure of two things - your instructor knows how to select good textbooks and also it won't matter if your instructor is a good teacher since this book does all of the work for him/her.

If you are enrolled in a class on discrete math and this textbook is not assigned, might I suggest you get a used copy of the previous edition. It is just as good as this current edition and used copies can easily be found dirt cheap. If you buy a copy of a previous edition the topics you'd be missing that are new to this edition would be expected value, conditional probability, Bayes' theorem, modular arithmetic, Fermat's little theorem and the Chinese remainder theorem, and RSA cryptography.

The author has included illuminating examples of all concepts throughout the textbook, defined all terms, and makes sure that each new concept introduced builds on previously explained material. Subjects covered include the logic of computation, including the predicate logic that is necessary for fully understanding artificial intelligence, methods of proof including the method of induction and also the terminology of sequences, number theory and combinatorics, O-notation and the calculation of the efficiency of algorithms, graph theory and discrete structures, and an introduction to concepts from the theory of computation. There are many exercises included, with the solutions to selected exercises in the back of the book.

This book only assumes mathematical maturity at the level of precalculus, excluding trigonometry. I highly recommend this text especially to students who are transitioning to computer science from some other discipline and need a firm foundation in the basics of that field. You'll find it useful as a foundational text for studying artificial intelligence, the theory of algorithms, mathematical models of computation, and the theory of computation. Another useful book on this subject is the "Schaum's Outline of Discrete Mathematics".

The table of contents are as follows:
1. The Logic of Compound Statements
2. The Logic of Quantified Statements
3. Elementary Number Theory and Methods of Proof
4. Sequences and Mathematical Induction
5. Set Theory
6. Counting
7. Functions
8. Recursion
9. O-Notation and the Efficiency of Algorithms
10. Relations
11. Graphs and Trees
12. Finite State Automata and Applications

I have read "Discrete Mathematics" by Epp, Rosen and Ross which are the three most common discrete math texts that I encounter at university.

Of these three, I would rate Epp's book as my favorite because it has the clearest explanations and is so easy to read that you can't help but feel like you understand all of the content completely. The only failing that Epp's book might have is that it is not as thorough in its coverage of the material as some of the more technical books. I would say that it covers about 90% of the material and leaves out some of the more obscure topics.

Rosen's book would be the most thorough, covering every topic in meticulous detail and offering a jumping point for other texts in cryptography and number theory. Although this book is more complete than Epp's, it is also less readable and requires more effort to get through. Ideally you would use Epp's book to learn the material and then go to Rosen's book for a technical reference.

For those of you who are considering Ross's book, I have one thing to say and that is don't. Although I have read this book and done a lot of the problems in the first 3/4 of the text, this book is neither clear in its explanations like Epp nor is it as complete as Rosen's book. If you are assigned this book for a course, my suggestion would be to buy Epp's book and photocopy the Ross homework problems from a friend's textbook.

Take the advice of someone who has read all three books. If you have to buy just one, then get the Epp book. It is better to understand 90% of the material completely rather than 100% of the material partially.

For anyone having a bit of a problem getting used to formal proofs and number theory, this book is the best I've seen for the beginner, hands down. If you've gotten into one of the top math programs in the country, you will do OK without this book; but as for the rest of us, this book may prevent a lot of grief. It moves slowly and clearly through basic methods of proof and number theory, and it builds confidence quickly. Dr. Epp has written a great book, and the only drawback (which isn't her fault) is the price. If you are pretty good at math through Calculus but got thrown for a loop trying to understand proofs and more formal mathematics, this is probably the book for you (as it was for me).

Hello all,

Just like many reviewers, I give this book 5 stars, why? First of all I am a senior
majoring CSE and I hate all college text books. This book is an exception. The first three chapters is introduction to logics nothing much. From chapter four on the good stuff starts, induction, set theory, recursion, representations, and more. The book has lots of examples and exercises, also the answers to selected exercise are on the back of the book, (not just answers also the work). Above all this book is really good but before you buy it hear this:


/***********************************************************************************
I wouldn't recommend that you buy this book why? Because the second edition
is same as this book, the only difference is the cover Image and the exercise
problems. So copy the homework problems from the copy at your college's library
and use the second edition as a reference. Also the second edition costs only $5.0
or less
**********************************************************************************/

Thank you and good luck

cheers

Suzanne Epp is an excellent writer and no one could accuse her of skimping on content. However there is such a thing as overkill. Certain sections badly need trimming and clarity: teaching from this book I spend a fair amount of time "boiling things down" to essential points which are often only implied or hidden among a proleration of examples. For example, entire sections are devoted to facets of predicate logic and arguments. This wouldn't prove redundant were it not for the fact that there is much duplication between the points mentioned in predicate logic and the points mentioned in propositional logic. I've seen less redundant and and more perspicuous presentations on logic in other texts. The homework problems for the large part seem a bit trivial. The reader again senses too much quantity of detail with little organizational clarity. Fewer and more substantive examples would prove helpful. The book seems ideal for a liberal arts college, there is plenty of text but much is mathematical style over substance. The reader, however, will at least be left with a clear conceptual understanding of salient topics in discrete math.

For a subject which has so much potential to be conveyed in complicated and esoteric ways, this book actually manages to present every single chapter in a clear and accessible way, even for those unfamiliar with formal logic.

It doesn't cover every single theorem you might come across in a first year class, but it comes close. I'd thoroughly recommend this book, even for self-study. I've used a couple of texts for this subject and while none of them are actually bad, this one is streets ahead for understandability and clarity.

Last year as a lecturer at a large state school I was assigned the task of teaching a discrete math course and this title by Susanna Epp was suggested to me by the department administrators. Being a universalist, I had a hard time selecting among the topics that were to be covered over the semester, with the traditional approach including the core material from the chapters on logic, sets, number theory, combinatorics, sequences, recursion, and relations. However I managed to also throw in parts of the chapters on graphs, efficiency of algorithms, and automata theory, which were all well-received by the majority of the students (some of whom had complained about why logic and set theory were covered in more depth in a course like this.) The solution manual and the companion web site provide supplementary material, and the text itself does a nice job of giving some historical backdrops and expositions on a few of the subject's applications. For example in the number theory part, we talked about the RSA cryptosystem, and in the graphs section, about an algorithm to find minimum spanning trees, used to minimize costs when scheduling trips or services between various distinations. I also happened to recommend the Schaum's outlines to our campus bookstore and a few students accordingly used the latter to summarize their learnings and enhance their problem-solving skills for taking the exams. One issue with Epp's book (as with many other academic titles) is the high price tag, but I guess anyone with financial difficulties can borrow a copy from a friend or purchase it used from amazon.com or a campus vendor. There are in fact many other books on discrete mathematics available in the market (just do a search here on amazon.com to see for yourself!) but among these I would recommend two titles in particular, one by Kenneth Rosen and the other by Ralph Grimaldi.

I'm honestly impressed. I have been through many math textbooks - algebra, geometry, calculus, and so on and so forth. I've even been through another Discrete Mathematics text which one of my colleges had a "custom edition" of. The things which all those texts had in common were that they were extremely heavy, bulky, boring, mostly incomprehensible, and above all - they were so bad at "teaching" the material that if I didn't take studious notes from my professors, I was totally lost. It was almost impossible to learn anything except the most basic principles just from reading the text alone. Almost all of my fellow students had a similar experience, and never turned to the "lesson" pages of the text except for reference of mathematical rules and such.

This book, on the other hand, is quite fantastic. It has smaller dimensions and weighs less than almost any other math textbook I've had in the past. But that isn't because it skimps on material - on the contrary, it is largely because the pages are not loaded with a bunch of useless (yet pretty) color photographs, charts, diagrams, tables, vignettes, and other "educational aid" fluff that is all the rage these days with publishers. It's a serious and down-to-earth textbook. The best part, as my Discrete Mathematics professor says, is that "the book is designed for students - not professors".

In other words, the book is actually intended to help students learn the material. Even though I still take good notes, I am quite comfortable knowing that if I don't understand something, I can just open the book and find assistance. The examples are simple, effective, logical, and not couched in so much math jargon that I have to get a dictionary just to understand what is being said. Such a novel concept!

I may not be an expert on Discrete Mathematics, but I would certainly recommend this textbook to professors and self-motivated learners alike.

This book serves as a terrific introduction to concepts which are of paramount importance in upper-level math courses, most notably Probability Theory, Real Analysis, and Abstract Algebra. Moreover, it provides a solid basis for computer science majors who wish to write more logically sound and efficient programs. I regularly referred back to this in my Real Analysis and Probability courses, and I imagine others would do the same. Also, Dr. Epp's clear, conversational style doesn't hurt the student's confidence later in more rigorous academic enterprises, as well as a concise layout and reasonable pace. Highly recommended.

I took a two course (quarter system) undergarduate sequence spanning 20 weeks of instruction that used this text. I had different professors for each quarter (the author teaching the second semester).

I found the text excellent, making the study interesting, enjoyable, and quite easy. The fact that the author taught the second quarter made no difference; the text stands well on its own.

I am currently teaching at a technical college and am recommending this text for adoption.