Permutations and combinations textbook recommendations

Question

I have had real difficulty with permutation/combination questions in probability and statistics texts. What I have real difficulty with is transforming word problems into mathematical form to solve. Are there any recommendations for a good text that might help me to do this? Or any suggestions for how to tackle these sorts of problems.

Thanks

Answer 1

You are looking for references on combinatorics. There are many lecture notes around the 'net, hiding under names like "discrete mathematics" (elementary combinatorics of the sort you are looking for is one of the main dishes in such a course).

Perhaps the best reference for self study is Kenneth Bogart's "Combinatorics through Guided Discovery". Another good resource is Bogart, Drysdale, Stein "Discrete Math for Computer Science Students". Both are available in full as PDFs for free.

Answer 2

As an elementary textbook on statistics, Michael Sullivan's Statistics: Informed Decisions Using Data is good.

Answer 3

I highly recommend Schaum's Outline of Combinatorics by V. K. Balakrishnan.

It contains lots of small examples that are manageable by a beginner, and shows you how to do it in a straightforward manner.

Answer 4

I would suggest you to start out with Discrete Mathematics and Its Applications by Kenneth H. Rosen. The 6th chapter about Counting will give you a good edge over permutations and combinations, and you'll able to intuitively solve problems in no time.