MTH 2204 – Discrete Mathematics

Lecture 0 - Introduction to Discrete Mathematics

- Aarif Baksh

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 Mathematics is, most generally, the study of any and
all absolutely certain truths about any and all perfectly
well-defined concepts.

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 Discrete Mathematics vs Continuous Mathematics
• Discrete Mathematics is the • Continuous Mathematics
study of mathematical is the study of
structures and objects that mathematical structures
can assume only distinct and objects that can vary
values. smoothly.

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Discrete Mathematics vs Continuous Mathematics

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 Some Discrete Mathematics Problems

1. COVID-19 is finally over and life is back to normal. To celebrate,

Tamesh throws a party and invites 14 of his close friends over. As a way
to kick things off, they decide that everyone should shake hands.
Assuming all 15 people at the party each shake hands with every other
person (but not themselves, obviously) exactly once, how many
handshakes take place?

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 Some Discrete Mathematics Problems

2. On an Island lives exactly three types of people, knights, knaves and

spies. Knights always tell the truth, knaves always lie and spies can
either tell the truth or lie. You visit the island and is approached by three
people, one of each type: Alicia, Ved and Anna.

Alicia says “Anna is a knave”

Ved says “Alicia is a knight”

Anna says “I am a spy”

Who is the knight, who is the knave and who is the spy? 6
 Some Discrete Mathematics Problems

3. After excavating for weeks, Mahendra finally arrive at the burial

chamber. The room is empty except for two large chests. On each is
carved a message:

Exactly one of these messages is correct. What would you do?

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 Why Study Discrete Mathematics?

The basis of all digital information processing.

The basic language and conceptual foundation of all of

computer science.

Widely used throughout science, engineering, economics,

biology etc.

A general useful tool for rational thought.

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 Structure of Course

1. Fundamentals

Number Theory,
2. Cryptography and
Recursion

Counting techniques
3. and probability

4. Relations

Graph Theory and

5. Trees
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