Discrete Mathematics By Olympia Nicodemi Patched May 2026

Discrete Mathematics: A Bridge to Computer Science and Advanced Mathematics

Target Audience:

This textbook is ideally suited for:

Clear, Conversational Writing Style

Nicodemi writes in an unusually engaging, almost Socratic tone. She explains why definitions matter, how proofs are constructed, and what the underlying intuition is. This makes the book readable compared to drier, definition-theorem-proof texts. Discrete Mathematics by Olympia Nicodemi

Why the Book Is "Hard"—And Why That’s a Good Thing

Olympia Nicodemi is a Professor Emerita of Mathematics at the State University of New York (SUNY) College at Geneseo. Unlike modern textbook authors who are often hired by publishing houses to compile existing curricula, Nicodemi is a working mathematician and educator who wrote her book based on how she actually taught the course. Discrete Mathematics: A Bridge to Computer Science and

3. Content and Structure Overview

Introduction

• Computer Science undergraduates looking for an algorithms/data structures primer. This book contains almost no runtime analysis (Big-O), minimal pseudocode, and no programming exercises.
• Students with weak high school algebra experience. Nicodemi assumes you can factor polynomials, manipulate inequalities, and understand basic functions without hand-holding.
• Anyone who wants an answer key. While some editions include answers to odd-numbered problems, the solutions are often terse ("Proof by induction" without details). There is no fully worked solutions manual widely available.

Who Is This Book For?