2. Teaching
3. MAT526

Welcome

Welcome to the course web page for the Fall 2026 manifestation of MAT 526: Topics in Combinatorics at Northern Arizona University.

What is This Course All About?

This course focuses on enumerative combinatorics with an introduction to generating function techniques.

This course will use an inquiry-based learning (IBL) to learning combinatorics. Rather than spending most of class listening to lectures, you will spend substantial time exploring problems, developing arguments, presenting solutions, and discussing the mathematics with your classmates.

Outside of class, you may use whatever resources help you learn—including books, websites, classmates, and AI tools such as ChatGPT. The important distinction is between finding a solution and understanding the mathematics. When you come to class, you should be prepared to explain, defend, critique, and adapt the ideas you encountered.

Because outside resources are readily available, homework and preparation will be relatively low-stakes. Your understanding will be assessed primarily through your mathematical contributions in class and regular short, individual, no-resource assessments. In short:

Use whatever helps you learn. Be prepared to demonstrate that you learned it.

Don’t fear failure. Not failure, but low aim, is the crime. In great attempts it is glorious even to fail.