Aldous, DavidSteele, John M2023-05-232023-05-232004-01-012016-07-27https://repository.upenn.edu/handle/20.500.14332/42266This survey describes a general approach to a class of problems that arise in combinatorial probability and combinatorial optimization. Formally, the method is part of weak convergence theory, but in concrete problems the method has a flavor of its own. A characteristic element of the method is that it often calls for one to introduce a new, infinite, probabilistic object whose local properties inform us about the limiting properties of a sequence of finite problems.The final publication is available at Springer via http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-09444-0_1Other Statistics and ProbabilityProbabilityBook