Algebraic combinatorics - algebra or combinatorics?
Abstract
This talk will feature a number of examples that illustrate what algebraic combinatorics means to the speaker. Throughout, the interplay between algebraic and combinatorial methods is emphasized. Examples include the algrbra of formal power series, matrix algebra and the enumeration of strings, symmetric functions, representations of finite groups, matrix integrals and embeddings of graphs in surfaces, branched covers of Riemann surfaces. The talk is intended for a general mathematics audience.