Editing Combinatorics (section)

== Related fields ==
[[Image:Kissing-3d.png|150px|right|thumb|[[kissing number|Kissing spheres]] are connected to both [[coding theory]] and [[discrete geometry]].]]

=== Combinatorial optimization ===
[[Combinatorial optimization]] is the study of optimization on discrete and combinatorial objects. It started as a part of combinatorics and graph theory, but is now viewed as a branch of applied mathematics and computer science, related to [[operations research]], [[Analysis of algorithms|algorithm theory]] and [[computational complexity theory]].

=== Coding theory ===
[[Coding theory]] started as a part of design theory with early combinatorial constructions of [[error-correcting code]]s. The main idea of the subject is to design efficient and reliable methods of data transmission. It is now a large field of study, part of [[information theory]].

=== Discrete and computational geometry ===
[[Discrete geometry]] (also called combinatorial geometry) also began as a part of combinatorics, with early results on [[convex polytope]]s and [[kissing number]]s.  With the emergence of applications of discrete geometry to [[computational geometry]], these two fields partially merged and became a separate field of study.  There remain many connections with geometric and topological combinatorics, which themselves can be viewed as outgrowths of the early discrete geometry.

===Combinatorics and dynamical systems===
[[Combinatorics and dynamical systems|Combinatorial aspects of dynamical systems]] is another emerging field.  Here dynamical systems can be defined on combinatorial objects.  See for example
[[graph dynamical system]].

===Combinatorics and physics===
There are increasing interactions between [[combinatorics and physics]], particularly [[statistical physics]]. Examples include an exact solution of the [[Ising model]], and a connection between the [[Potts model]] on one hand, and the [[chromatic polynomial|chromatic]] and [[Tutte polynomial]]s on the other hand.