Two general methods for establishing the logarithmic behavior of recursively defined sequences of real numbers are presented. One is the interlacing method, and the other one is based on calculus. Both methods are used to prove logarithmic behavior of some combinatorially relevant sequences, such as Motzkin and Schröder numbers, sequences of values of some classic orthogonal polynomials, and many others. The calculus method extends also to two- (or more-) indexed sequences.
Quasi-logarithmic combinatorial structures are a class of decomposable combinatorial structures which extend the logarithmic class considered by Arratia, Barbour and Tavaré (2003). In order to obtain asymptotic approximations to their component spectrum, it is necessary first to establish an approximation to the sum of an associated sequence of independent random variables in terms of the Dickman distribution. This in turn requires an argument that refines the Mineka coupling by incorporating a blocking construction, leading to exponentially sharper coupling rates for the sums in question. App…
The purpose of this paper is to show that some combinatorial sequences, such as second-order Eulerian numbers and Eulerian numbers of type $B$, can be generated by context-free grammars.
In this paper, we present monotone sequences of lower and upper bounds on the Perron value of a nonngeative matrix, and we study their strict monotonicity. Using those sequences, we provide two combinatorial applications. One is to improve bounds on Perron values of rooted trees in combinatorial settings, in order to find characteristic sets of trees. The other is to generate log-concave and log-convex sequences through the monotone sequences.
In 1962 O. A. Gross proved that the last digits of the Fubini numbers (or surjective numbers) have a simple periodicity property. We extend this result to a wider class of combinatorial numbers coming from restricted set partitions.
Multiple analogues of certain families of combinatorial numbers are recently constructed by the author in terms of well poised Macdonald functions, and some of their fundamental properties are developed. In this paper, we present combinatorial formulas for the well poised Macdonald functions, the multiple binomial coefficients, the multiple bracket function, and the multiple Catalan and Lah numbers.
We give a combinatorial interpretation in terms of bicolored ordered trees for the sequence (a_n)_{n>=1}=(1, 1, 1, 2, 3, 6, 10, 20, 36, 73,... ), A345973 in OEIS, whose generating function satisfies the defining identity Sum_{n>=1}a_n x^n = x + x^2/Product_{n>=1}(1 - a_n x^n).
We give a combinatorial interpretation of a classical meta-Fibonacci sequence defined by G(n) = n - G(G(n-1)) with the initial condition G(1) = 1, which appears in Hofstadter's 'Godel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid'. The interpretation is in terms of an infinite labelled tree. We then show a few corollaries about the behaviour of the sequence G(n) directly from the interpretation.
We develop techniques to deal with monotonicity of sequences z_{n+1}/z_n and \sqrt[n]{z_n}. A series of conjectures of Zhi-Wei Sun and of Amdeberhan et al. are verified in certain unified approaches.
In this short note we present a set of interesting and useful properties of a one-parameter family of sequences including factorial and subfactorial, and their relations to the Gamma function and the incomplete Gamma function.
This article is a sequel to a recent article by Eric Rowland and Reem Yassawi, presenting yet another approach to the fast determination of congruence properties of `famous' combinatorial sequences. The present approach can be taught to a computer, and our beloved servant, Shalosh B. Ekhad, was able to generate many new theorems, for famous sequences, of course, but also for many obscure ones!
In this paper we introduce {\em weak ascent sequences}, a class of number sequences that properly contains ascent sequences. We show how these sequences uniquely encode each of the following objects: permutations avoiding a particular length-4 bivincular pattern; upper-triangular binary matrices that satisfy a column-adjacency rule; factorial posets that are weakly (3+1)-free. We also show how weak ascent sequences are related to a class of pattern avoiding inversion sequences that has been a topic of recent research by Auli and Elizalde. Finally, we consider the problem of enumerating these n…
We discuss an equivalence relation on the set of square binary matrices with the same number of 1's in each row and each column. Each binary matrix is represented using ordered n-tuples of natural numbers. We give a few starting values of integer sequences related to the discussed problem. The obtained sequences are new and they are not described in the On-Line Encyclopedia of Integer Sequences (OEIS). We show a relationship between some particular values of the parameters and the Fibonacci sequence.
Let s and t be variables. Define polynomials {n} in s, t by {0}=0, {1}=1, and {n}=s{n-1}+t{n-2} for n >= 2. If s, t are integers then the corresponding sequence of integers is called a Lucas sequence. Define an analogue of the binomial coefficients by C{n,k}={n}!/({k}!{n-k}!) where {n}!={1}{2}...{n}. It is easy to see that C{n,k} is a polynomial in s and t. The purpose of this note is to give two combinatorial interpretations for this polynomial in terms of statistics on integer partitions inside a k by n-k rectangle. When s=t=1 we obtain combinatorial interpretations of the fibonomial coeffic…
The enhanced principal rank characteristic sequence (epr-sequence) of a symmetric matrix $B \in \mathbb{F}^{n \times n}$ is defined as $\ell_1 \ell_2 \cdots \ell_n$, where $\ell_j \in \{\tt{A}, \tt{S}, \tt{N}\}$ according to whether all, some but not all, or none of the principal minors of order $j$ of $B$ are nonzero. Building upon the second author's recent classification of the epr-sequences of symmetric matrices over the field $\mathbb{F}=\mathbb{F}_2$, we initiate a study of the case $\mathbb{F}=\mathbb{F}_3$. Moreover, epr-sequences over finite fields are shown to have connections to Ram…
A sequence $\{z_n\}_{n\geq0}$ is called ratio log-convex in the sense that the ratio sequence $\{\frac{z_{n+1}}{z_n}\}_{n\geq0}$ is log-convex. Based on a three-term recurrence for sequences, we develop techniques for dealing with the ratio log-convexity of ratio sequences. As applications, we prove that the ratio sequences of numbers, including the derangement numbers, the Motzkin numbers, the Fine numbers, Franel numbers and the Domb numbers are ratio log-convex, respectively. Finally, we not only prove that the sequence of derangement numbers is asymptotically infinitely log-monotonic, but …
Many combinatorial sequences (for example, the Catalan and Motzkin numbers) may be expressed as the constant term of $P(x)^k Q(x)$, for some Laurent polynomials $P(x)$ and $Q(x)$ in the variable $x$ with integer coefficients. Denoting such a sequence by $a_k$, we obtain a general formula that determines the congruence class, modulo $p$, of the indefinite sum $\sum_{k=0}^{rp -1} a_k$, for {\it any} prime $p$, and any positive integer $r$, as a linear combination of sequences that satisfy linear recurrence (alias difference) equations with constant coefficients. This enables us (or rather, our c…
Set partitions and permutations with restrictions on the size of the blocks and cycles are important combinatorial sequences. Counting these objects lead to the sequences generalizing the classical Stirling and Bell numbers. The main focus of the present article is the analysis of combinatorial and arithmetical properties of them. The results include several combinatorial identities and recurrences as well as some properties of their $p$-adic valuations.
We confirm Sun's conjecture that $(\root{n+1}\of{F_{n+1}}/\root{n}\of{F_n})_{n\ge 4}$ is strictly decreasing to the limit 1, where $(F_n)_{n\ge0}$ is the Fibonacci sequence. We also prove that the sequence $(\root{n+1}\of{D_{n+1}}/\root{n}\of{D_n})_{n\ge3}$ is strictly decreasing with limit $1$, where $D_n$ is the $n$-th derangement number. For $m$-th order harmonic numbers $H_n^{(m)}=\sum_{k=1}^n 1/k^m\ (n=1,2,3,\ldots)$, we show that $(\root{n+1}\of{H^{(m)}_{n+1}}/\root{n}\of{H^{(m)}_n})_{n\ge3}$ is strictly increasing.
We introduce the notion of infinitely log-monotonic sequences. By establishing a connection between completely monotonic functions and infinitely log-monotonic sequences, we show that the sequences of the Bernoulli numbers, the Catalan numbers and the central binomial coefficients are infinitely log-monotonic. In particular, if a sequence $\{a_n\}_{n\geq 0}$ is log-monotonic of order two, then it is ratio log-concave in the sense that the sequence $\{a_{n+1}/a_{n}\}_{n\geq 0}$ is log-concave. Furthermore, we prove that if a sequence $\{a_n\}_{n\geq k}$ is ratio log-concave, then the sequence $…
Three-graded root systems can be arranged into nested sequences. One exceptional sequence provides a natural means to recover some structures and symmetries familiar in the context of particle physics.
In this paper we confirm several conjectures of Z.-W. Sun on Hankel-type determinants for some combinatorial sequences including Franel numbers, Domb numbers and Apéry numbers. For any nonnegative integer $n$, define \begin{gather*}f_n:=\sum_{k=0}^n\binom nk^3,\ D_n:=\sum_{k=0}^n\binom nk^2\binom{2k}k\binom{2(n-k)}{n-k}, b_n:=\sum_{k=0}^n\binom nk^2\binom{n+k}k,\ A_n:=\sum_{k=0}^n\binom nk^2\binom{n+k}k^2. \end{gather*} For $n=0,1,2,\ldots$, we show that $6^{-n}|f_{i+j}|_{0\leq i,j\leq n}$ and $12^{-n}|D_{i+j}|_{0\le i,j\le n}$ are positive odd integers, and $10^{-n}|b_{i+j}|_{0\leq i,j\leq n}…
We prove a master identity for a class of sequences defined by full-history linear homogeneous recurrences with (non-negative) constant coefficients. The identity is derived in a combinatorial way, providing thus combinatorial proofs for many known and new identities obtained as its corollaries. In particular, we prove several interesting identities for the Pell, the Jacobsthal, and the m-nacci numbers.
We present combinatorial and analytical results concerning a Sheffer sequence with a generating function of the form $G(x,z)=Q(z)^{x}Q(-z)^{1-x}$, where $Q$ is a quadratic polynomial with real zeros. By using the properties of Riordan matrices we address combinatorial properties and interpretations of our Sheffer sequence of polynomials and their coefficients. We also show that apart from two exceptional zeros, the zeros of polynomials with large enough degree in such a Sheffer sequence lie on the line $x=1/2+it$.
In 1973 Fraenkel discovered interesting sequences which split the positive integers. These sequences became famous, because of a related unsolved conjecture. Here we construct combinatorial games, with `playable' rulesets, with these sequences constituting the winning positions for the second player. Keywords: Combinatorial game, Fraenkel's conjecture, Impartial game, Normal play, Playability, Rational modulus, Splitting sequences
In 1998, Allouche, Peyrière, Wen and Wen established that the Hankel determinants associated with the Thue--Morse sequence on $\{-1, 1\}$ are always nonzero. Their proof depends on a set of sixteen recurrence relations. We present an alternative, purely combinatorial proof of the same result. We also re-prove a recent result of Coons on the non-vanishing of the Hankel determinants associated to two other classical integer sequences.
We give an explicit formula for the Hankel transform of a regular sequence in terms of the coefficients of the associated orthogonal polynomials and the sequence itself. We apply this formula to some sequences of combinatorial interest, deriving interesting combinatorial identities by this means. Further insight is also gained into the structure of the Hankel transform of a sequence.
We explore the notion of degree of asymmetry for integer sequences and related combinatorial objects. The degree of asymmetry is a new combinatorial statistic that measures how far an object is from being symmetric. We define this notion for compositions, words, matchings, binary trees and permutations, we find generating functions enumerating these objects with respect to their degree of asymmetry, and we describe the limiting distribution of this statistic in each case.
In this paper, we derive some new combinatorial inequalities by applying well known real analytic results like Hölder's inequality, Young's inequality, and Minkowiski's inequality to the recursively defined sequence $f_n$ of functions \begin{align*} f_0(x) & = χ_{(-1/2, 1/2)} (x), \nonumber f_{n+1}(x) & = f_n(x+1/2)+ f_n(x-1/2), n \in \mathbb{N}\,\cup \,\{0\}. \end{align*} Towards this goal, we derive the closed form of the aforementioned sequence $ (f_n)_{n\in \mathbb{N}\,\cup \,\{0\}}$ of functions and show that it is a sequence of simple functions that are linear combinations of characteris…
The Catalan transform of a sequence (a_{n})_{n>=0} is the sequence (b_{n})_{n>=0} with b_{n} = Sum[k/(2n-k) (2n-k)-choose-(n-k) a_{k},k=0..n]. Here we show that the Catalan transform of the Catalan numbers has a simple interpretation: it counts functions f:[1,n] -> [1,n] satisfying the condition that, for all i<j, f(j)-(j-i) is not in the interval [1,f(i)-1].
In this note we present a combinatorial proof of an identity involving poly-Bernoulli numbers and Genocchi numbers. We introduce the combinatorial objects, $m-$barred Callan sequences and show that the identity holds in a more general manner.
Many combinatorial matrices --- such as those of binomial coefficients, Stirling numbers of both kinds, and Lah numbers --- are known to be totally non-negative, meaning that all minors (determinants of square submatrices) are non-negative. The examples noted above can be placed in a common framework: for each one there is a non-decreasing sequence $(a_1, a_2, \ldots)$, and a sequence $(e_1, e_2, \ldots)$, such that the $(m,k)$-entry of the matrix is the coefficient of the polynomial $(x-a_1)\cdots(x-a_k)$ in the expansion of $(x-e_1)\cdots(x-e_m)$ as a linear combination of the polynomials $1…
We provide new and purely combinatorial proofs of two infinite extensions of the Hales--Jewett theorem. The first one is due to T. Carlson and S. Simpson and the second one is due T. Carlson. Both concern infinite increasing sequences of finite alphabets.
