This text contains expository contributions by respected researchers on the connections between algebraic geometry, topology, commutative algebra, representation theory, and convex geometry.During 1996-97 MSRI held a full academic year program on Combinatorics, with special emphasis on the connections with other branches of mathematics, such as algebraic geometry, topology, commutative algebra, representation theory, and convex geometry. The rich combinatorial problems arising from the study of various algebraic structures are the subject of this book, which contains expository contributions by some of the most respected researchers in the field. It will present the state of the art to graduate students and researchers in combinatorics as well as algebra, geometry, and topology.During 1996-97 MSRI held a full academic year program on Combinatorics, with special emphasis on the connections with other branches of mathematics, such as algebraic geometry, topology, commutative algebra, representation theory, and convex geometry. The rich combinatorial problems arising from the study of various algebraic structures are the subject of this book, which contains expository contributions by some of the most respected researchers in the field. It will present the state of the art to graduate students and researchers in combinatorics as well as algebra, geometry, and topology.During 1996-97 MSRI held a full academic-year program on combinatorics, with special emphasis on its connections to other branches of mathematics, such as algebraic geometry, topology, commutative algebra, representation theory, and convex geometry. The rich combinatorial problems arising from the study of various algebraic structures are the subject of this book, which features work done or presented at the program's seminars. The text contains contributions on matroid bundles, combinatorial representation theory, lattice points in polyhedra, bilinear forms, combinatorial differential topology and gelÓ†