Given a sequence of integers b = (b_0,b_1,b_2,...) one gives a Dyck path P of length 2n the weight
wt(P) = b_{h_1} b_{h_2} ... b_{h_n},
where h_i is the height of the ith ascent of P. The corresponding weighted Catalan number is
C_n^b = sum_P wt(P),
where the sum is over all Dyck paths of length 2n. So, in particular, the ordinary Catalan numbers C_n correspond to b_i = 1 for all i >= 0. Let xi(n) stand for the base two exponent of n, i.e., the largest power of 2 dividing n. We give a condition on b which implies that
xi(C_n^b) = xi(C_n).
In the special case b_i=(2i+1)^2, this settles a conjecture of Postnikov about the number of plane Morse links. Our proof generalizes the recent combinatorial proof of Deutsch and Sagan of the classical formula for xi(C_n).
In this paper, we study arithmetic properties of weighted Catalan numbers. Previously, Postnikov and Sagan found conditions under which the $2$-adic valuations of the weighted Catalan numbers are equal to the $2$-adic valutations of the Catalan numbers. We obtain the same result under weaker conditions by considering a map from a class of functions to $2$-adic integers. These methods are also extended to $q$-weighted Catalan numbers, strengthening a previous result by Konvalinka. Finally, we prove some results on the periodicity of weighted Catalan numbers modulo an integer and apply them to t…
The super Catalan numbers $T(m,n)=(2m)!(2n)!/2m!n!(m+n)!$ are integers which generalize the Catalan numbers. With the exception of a few values of $m$, no combinatorial interpretation in known for $T(m,n)$. We give a weighted interpretation for $T(m,n)$ and develop a technique that converts this weighted interpretation into a conventional combinatorial interpretation in the case $m=2$.
In this paper, we investigate the weighted Catalan, Motzkin and Schröder numbers together with the corresponding weighted paths. The relation between these numbers is illustrated by three equations, which also lead to some known and new interesting identities. To show these three equations, we provide combinatorial proofs. One byproduct is to find a bijection between two sets of Catalan paths: one consisting of those with $k$ valleys, and the other consisting of $k$ $\mathbf{N}$ steps in even positions.
Three-dimensional Catalan numbers are a variant of the classical (bidimensional) Catalan numbers, that count, among other interesting objects, the standard Young tableaux of shape (n,n,n). In this paper, we present a structural bijection between two three-dimensional Catalan objects: 1234-avoiding up-down permutations, and a class of weighted Dyck paths.
We show that, modulo some odd prime p, the powers of two weighted sum of the first p-2 divided Bernoulli numbers equals the Agoh-Giuga quotient plus twice the number of permutations on p-2 letters with an even number of ascents and distinct from the identity. We provide a combinatorial characterization of Wieferich primes, as well as of primes p for which p^2 divides the Fermat quotient q_p(2).
Writing the values of Krawtchouk polynomials as matrices, we consider weighted partial sums along columns. For the general case, we find an identity that, in the symmetric case yields a formula for such partial sums. Complete sums of squares along columns involve "Super Catalan" numbers. We look as well for particular values (matrix entries) involving the Catalan numbers. Properties considered and developed in this work are applied to calculations of various dimensions that describe the structure of some *-algebras over the Boolean lattice based on inclusion/superset relations expressed algebr…
In this work, we consider a class of substitutions on infinite alphabets and show that they exhibit a growth behaviour which is impossible for substitutions on finite alphabets. While for both settings the leading term of the tile counting function is exponential (and guided by the inflation factor), the behaviour of the second-order term is strikingly different. For the finite setting, it is known that the second term is also exponential or exponential times a polynomial. We exhibit a large family of examples where the second term is at least exponential in $n$ divided by half-integer powers …
To flatten a set partition (with apologies to Mathematica) means to form a permutation by erasing the dividers between its blocks. Of course, the result depends on how the blocks are listed. For the usual listing--increasing entries in each block and blocks arranged in increasing order of their first entries--we count the partitions of [n] whose flattening avoids a single 3-letter pattern. Five counting sequences arise: a null sequence, the powers of 2, the Fibonacci numbers, the Catalan numbers, and the binomial transform of the Catalan numbers.
The binomial coefficients and Catalan triangle numbers appear as weight multiplicities of the finite-dimensional simple Lie algebras and affine Kac--Moody algebras. We prove that any binomial coefficient can be written as weighted sums along rows of the Catalan triangle. The coefficients in the sums form a triangular array, which we call the alternating Jacobsthal triangle. We study various subsequences of the entries of the alternating Jacobsthal triangle and show that they arise in a variety of combinatorial constructions. The generating functions of these sequences enable us to define their…
We present a determinantal formula for the steady state probability of each state of the TASEP (Totally Asymmetric Simple Exclusion Process) with open boundaries, a 1D particle model that has been studied extensively and displays rich combinatorial structure. These steady state probabilities are computed by the enumeration of Catalan tableaux, which are certain Young diagrams filled with $α$'s and $β$'s that satisfy some conditions on the rows and columns. We construct a bijection from the Catalan tableaux to weighted lattice paths on a Young diagram, and from this we enumerate the paths with …
The \emph{$q,t$-Catalan numbers} $C_n(q,t)$ are polynomials in $q$ and $t$ that reduce to the ordinary Catalan numbers when $q=t=1$. These polynomials have important connections to representation theory, algebraic geometry, and symmetric functions. Haglund and Haiman discovered combinatorial formulas for $C_n(q,t)$ as weighted sums of Dyck paths (or equivalently, integer partitions contained in a staircase shape). This paper undertakes a combinatorial investigation of the joint symmetry property $C_n(q,t)=C_n(t,q)$. We conjecture some structural decompositions of Dyck objects into "mutually op…
We introduce weighted succession rules and parametric production matrices - simple extensions of the standard ECO method succession rules and production matrices. The purpose is to enumerate combinatorial objects with respect to several variables. We consider one main example, from the theory of Dyck paths. The path statistics primarily considered are peak height, rise height, and certain subwalks. Many classical sequences (such as the Catalan, Motzkin, Narayana and Schroeder numbers) are incorporated in this example.
A partial Motzkin path is a path from $(0, 0)$ to $(n, k)$ in the $XOY$-plane that does not go below the $X$-axis and consists of up steps $U=(1, 1)$, down steps $D=(1, -1)$ and horizontal steps $H=(1, 0)$. A weighted partial Motzkin path is a partial Motzkin path with the weight assignment that all up steps and down steps are weighted by 1, the horizontal steps are endowed with a weight $x$ if they are lying on $X$-axis, and endowed with a weight $y$ if they are not lying on $X$-axis. Denote by $M_{n,k}(x, y)$ to be the weight function of all weighted partial Motzkin paths from $(0, 0)$ to $(…
The higher $q,t$-Catalan polynomial $C^{(m)}_n(q,t)$ can be defined combinatorially as a weighted sum of lattice paths contained in certain triangles, or algebraically as a complicated sum of rational functions indexed by partitions of $n$. This paper proves the equivalence of the two definitions for all $m\geq 1$ and all $n\leq 4$. We also give a bijective proof of the joint symmetry property $C^{(m)}_n(q,t)=C^{(m)}_n(t,q)$ for all $m\geq 1$ and all $n\leq 4$. The proof is based on a general approach for proving joint symmetry that dissects a collection of objects into chains, and then passes…
This paper is motivated by two problems recently proposed by Coker on combinatorial identities related to the Narayana polynomials and the Catalan numbers. We find that a bijection of Chen, Deutsch and Elizalde can be used to provide combinatorial interpretations of the identities of Coker when it is applied to weighted plane trees. For the sake of presentation of our combinatorial correspondences, we provide a description of the bijection of Chen, Deutsch and Elizalde in a slightly different manner in the form of a direct construction from plane trees to 2-Motzkin paths without the intermedia…
Additive tree functionals allow to represent the cost of many divide-and-conquer algorithms. We give an invariance principle for such tree functionals for the Catalan model (random tree uniformly distributed among the full binary ordered trees with given number of internal nodes) and for simply generated trees (including random tree uniformly distributed among the ordered trees with given number of nodes). In the Catalan model, this relies on the natural embedding of binary trees into the Brownian excursion and then on elementary second moment computations. We recover results first given by Fi…
We give a combinatorial interpretation of a matrix identity on Catalan numbers and the sequence $(1, 4, 4^2, 4^3, ...)$ which has been derived by Shapiro, Woan and Getu by using Riordan arrays. By giving a bijection between weighted partial Motzkin paths with an elevation line and weighted free Motzkin paths, we find a matrix identity on the number of weighted Motzkin paths and the sequence $(1, k, k^2, k^3, ...)$ for any $k \geq 2$. By extending this argument to partial Motzkin paths with multiple elevation lines, we give a combinatorial proof of an identity recently obtained by Cameron and N…
In number theory, we know Legendre's formula $ v_p(n!) = \sum_{k \ge 1} \lfloor \frac{n}{p^k} \rfloor $, which calculates the $p$-adic valuation of the factorial, i.e. the exponent of the greatest power of a prime $p$ that divides $n!$. There is also the second (or alternative) equality $ v_p (n!) = \frac{n-s_p(n)}{p-1} $ where $s_p(n)$ is the $p$-adic weight of $n$ or the sum of digits of $n$ in base $p$. Both kinds of Legendre's formula allow us to determine valuations of the natural number, the odd factorial, binomial coefficients, Catalan numbers, and other combinatorial objects. The artic…
The lattice polynomials $L_{i,j}(x)$ are introduced by Hough and Shapiro as a weighted count of certain lattice paths from the origin to the point $(i,j)$. In particular, $L_{2n, n}(x)$ reduces to the generating function of the numbers $T_{n,k}={1\over n}{n-1+k\choose n-1}{2n-k\choose n+1}$, which can be viewed as a refinement of the $3$-Catalan numbers $T_n=\frac{1}{2n+1}{3n\choose n}$. In this paper, we establish a correspondence between $12312$-avoiding partial matchings and lattice paths, and we show that the weighted count of such partial matchings with respect to the number of crossings …
The classical Chung-Feller theorem [2] tells us that the number of Dyck paths of length $n$ with flaws $m$ is the $n$-th Catalan number and independent on $m$. L. Shapiro [7] found the Chung-Feller properties for the Motzkin paths. In this paper, we find the connections between these two Chung-Feller theorems. We focus on the weighted versions of three classes of lattice paths and give the generalizations of the above two theorems. We prove the Chung-Feller theorems of Dyck type for these three classes of lattice paths and the Chung-Feller theorems of Motzkin type for two of these three classe…
The well-known $q,t$-Catalan sequence has two combinatorial interpretations as weighted sums of ordinary Dyck paths: one is Haglund's area-bounce formula, and the other is Haiman's dinv-area formula. The zeta map was constructed to connect these two formulas: it is a bijection from ordinary Dyck paths to themselves, and it takes dinv to area, and area to bounce. Such a result was extended for $k$-Dyck paths by Loehr. The zeta map was extended by Armstrong-Loehr-Warrington for a very general class of paths. In this paper, We extend the dinv-area-bounce result for $\vec{k}$-Dyck paths by: i) giv…
