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The Probabilistic Method

Noga Alon and Joel H. Spencer
Publisher: 
John Wiley
Publication Date: 
2016
Number of Pages: 
375
Format: 
Hardcover
Edition: 
4
Series: 
Wiley Series in Discrete Mathematics and Optimization
Price: 
115.00
ISBN: 
9781119061953
Category: 
Monograph
[Reviewed by
Fernando Q. Gouvêa
, on
02/24/2016
]

See our review of the third edition. According to the Preface, changes to this edition include

…various additional topics that developed extensively during the last few years. A breakthrough approach to the Local Lemma is described in Chapter 5. A new algorithmic approach to the “six standard deviations” result in discrepancy theory is presented in Chapter 12. A novel proof for the study of Property B, based on a random greedy coloring, appears in Chapter 3. In all of the above cases, the algorithmic proofs provide essentially new arguments for the existence of the desired objects. A new, short section on graph limits has been added to Chapter 9. A technique for counting independent sets in graphs and its application in a graph coloring problem is described in Chapter 1. Further additions include a new Probabilistic Lens, several additional exercises, and a new appendix with hints to selected exercises.

What Miklós Bóna said about the previous edition remains true: “The authors’ goal with the new edition is clearly to keep up with new developments of this very rapidly developing field.” This will continue to be an essential reference on probabilistic methods in combinatorics.


Fernando Q. Gouvêa is the editor of MAA Reviews.

See the table of contents in the publisher's webpage.