Discrete mathematics includes sets, functions and relations, matrix algebra, combinatorics and finite probability, graph theory, finite differences and recurrence relations, logic, mathematical induction, and algorithmic thinking. Other topics often considered part of discrete mathematics are Boolean algebra, the mathematics of social choice, linear programming, and number theory. Because of this diversity of topics, it is perhaps preferable to view discrete mathematics simply as the mathematics that is necessary for decision making in noncontinuous situations.