Making use of algebraic and combinatorial techniques, we study two topics: the arithmetic degree of squarefree strongly stable ideals and the h-vectors of matroid complexes. For a squarefree monomial ideal, I, the arithmetic degree of I is the number of facets of the simplicial complex which has I as its Stanley-Reisner ideal. We consider the case when I is squarefree strongly stable, in which case we give an exact formula for the arithmetic degree in terms of the minimal generators of I as well as a lower bound resembling that from the Multiplicity Conjecture. Using this, we can produce an upper bound on the number of minimal generators of any Cohen-Macaulay ideals with arbitrary codimension extending Dubreil’s theorem for codimension 2. A matroid complex is a pure complex such that every restriction is again pure. It is a long-standing open problem to classify all possible h-vectors of such complexes. In the case when the complex has dimension 1 we completely resolve this question and we give some partial results for higher dimensions. We also prove the 1-dimensional case of a conjecture of Stanley that all matroid h-vectors are pure O-sequences. Finally, we completely characterize the Stanley-Reisner ideals of matroid complexes.

Graphs provide interesting ways to generate families of lattice polytopes. In particular, one can use matrices encoding the information of a finite graph to define vertices of a polytope. This dissertation initiates the study of the Laplacian simplex, PG, obtained from a finite graph G by taking the convex hull of the columns of the Laplacian matrix for G. The Laplacian simplex is extended through the use of a parallel construction with a finite digraph D to obtain the Laplacian polytope, PD. Basic properties of both families of simplices, PG and PD, are established using techniques from Ehrhart theory. Motivated by a well-known conjecture in the field, our investigation focuses on reflexivity, the integer decomposition property, and unimodality of Ehrhart h*-vectors of these polytopes. A systematic investigation of PG for trees, cycles, and complete graphs is provided, which is enhanced by an investigation of PD for cyclic digraphs. We form intriguing connections with other families of simplices and produce G and D such that the h*-vectors of PG and PD exhibit extremal behavior.

My thesis is mostly concerned with algebraic and combinatorial aspects of the theory of hyperplane arrangements. More specifically, I study the Orlik-Terao algebra of a hyperplane arrangement and the broken circuit complex of a matroid. The Orlik-Terao algebra is a useful tool for studying hyperplane arrangements, especially for characterizing some non-combinatorial properties. The broken circuit complex, on the one hand, is closely related to the Orlik-Terao algebra, and on the other hand, plays a crucial role in the study of many combinatorial problem: the coefficients of the characteristic polynomial of a matroid are encoded in the f-vector of the broken circuit complex of the matroid. Among main results of the thesis are characterizations of the complete intersection and Gorenstein properties of the broken circuit complex and the Orlik-Terao algebra. I also study the h-vector of the broken circuit complex of a series-parallel network and relate certain entries of that vector to ear decompositions of the network. An application of the Orlik-Terao algebra in studying the relation space of a hyperplane arrangement is also included in the thesis.