Questions tagged [catalan-numbers]
The Catalan numbers form the sequence of numbers starting 1,1,2,5,14,42,... with explicit formula $\frac{1}{n+1}\binom{2n}{n}$. It counts many combinatorial objects like planar binary trees, triangulations, noncrossing partitions, Dyck paths, etc. See https://oeis.org/A000108
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Identities for the generating functions of a sort of convolution powers of the Narayana numbers
Let $c(x)=\frac{1-\sqrt{1-4x}}{2x}$ be the generating function of the Catalan numbers.
It satisfies $$\frac{1}{c(x)^k}+x^k c(x)^k=L_k(1,-x),$$
where $L_n(x,s)$ denote the Lucas polynomials defined by $...
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Injection of Catalan objects into 3-connected planar graphs
Let $C_n = \frac{1}{n+1}\binom{2n}{n}$ be the $n$-th Catalan number, counting, for example, the number of (rooted) triangulations of the $(n+2)$-gon.
Let $P_n$ be the number of three-connected planar ...
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Representations of $\mathrm{sl}(3,\mathbb{C})$ and Catalan-like paths
Background on representations of $\mathrm{sl}(3,\mathbb{C})$
In Chapter 6 of Brian C. Hall's book "Lie Groups, Lie Algebras, and Representations", he constructs the irreducible ...
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Alternating Sum Involving Catalan Numbers
I was wondering if anyone knew how to obtain a simpler closed form of the following sum(or had any other insights regarding it):
$$\sum_{k=0}^n (-1)^k{n \choose k} C_{2n-2-k} $$
Here $C_n = \frac{1}{n+...
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Solving a Catalan-like recursion of polynomials, related to the KdV energies
I am working on a PDE problem. The goal is to connect the higher order energies of the Gross-Pitaevskii equation to those of the Korteweg-de-Vries equation. As these higher order energies are ...
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Lattice paths avoiding holes
Consider lattice paths from $(0,0)$ to $(2n,2n)$ with steps $N=(0,1)$ and $E=(1,0)$ avoiding the points $(2i-1,2i-1)$ for all $1\leq i\leq n$. There are Catalan many $C_{2n}=\frac1{2n+1}\binom{4n}{2n}$...
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Yet, another generalization of Catalan determinants
The discussion on this page is motivated by Johann Cigler's MO question. My intention arose from a possible generalization of Cigler's matrix
$$A_{n,m}=\left( \binom{2m}{j-i+m}-\binom{2m}{m-i-j-1} \...
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Super Catalan (super ballot) numbers
We refer to this article by Ira Gessel. In section 6, page 10, equation (28), the Super Catalan numbers are defined as
$$S(m,n)=\frac{(2m)!(2n)!}{m!n!(m+n)!}.$$
On page 12, equation (31), there goes ...
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Proving an identity about Catalan numbers
$$C_{n} = \sum_{i=1}^n (-1)^{i-1} \binom{n-i+1}{i} C_{n-i}$$
Are there any good combinatorial proofs or algebraic proofs of this?
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Determinants of band matrices which are related to Hankel matrices of Catalan numbers
Let $A_{n,m}$ be the band matrix $$ A_{n,m}=\left( \binom{2m}{j-i+m}-\binom{2m}{m-i-j-1} \right)_{0\leq {i,j} \leq {n-1}}.$$
For example,
$$A_{6,2}=\left ( \begin{matrix} 2 & 3 & 1& 0 &...
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Shifted Hankel determinants for convolutions of Catalan numbers
It is well known that for $m\in \mathbb N$ the Hankel determinants $$D_m(n)= \det\left(C_{i+j+m}\right)_{0\leq i,j\leq {n-1}}$$ satisfy $D_m(n)=p_m(n)$, where $p_m(n)=\prod_{1 \leq i \leq j \leq {m-1}}...
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Catalan numbers from matchings?
There are several examples of interpreting the Catalan numbers as non-nesting or non-crossing matchings of some graph.
My question is:
Is there a family of graphs $G_1,G_2,\dotsc$ with the number of ...
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Hankel determinants for some convolutions of Catalan numbers
Let $c(x)=\frac{1-\sqrt{1-4x}}{2x}$ be the generating function of the Catalan numbers and let $$x^k c(x)^{2k}=(c(x)-1)^k =\sum_{n\geq0}c(k,n)x^n.$$
Consider the determinants $$D(k,n,m)= \det\left(c(k,...
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Why is this alternating sum involving Catalan numbers $\sum_{i=0}^{\lfloor t/2 \rfloor} (-1)^{i+1} \binom{t-i}{i} C_{t-i-1} = 0$ for all $t$?
I need the result that for all $t$,
$$\sum_{i=0}^{\lfloor t/2 \rfloor} (-1)^{i+1} \binom{t-i}{i} C_{t-i-1} = 0,$$
where $C_{t-i-1}$ is the $(t-i-1)$-th Catalan number. I've checked for $t$ up to ...
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A polynomial identity related to Catalan numbers
Let $F_n^{(k)}(x)= \sum_j {\binom{n+(k-1)j}{kj} x^j}$ and $G_n^{(k)}(x)= \sum_j {\binom{n+j}{kj} x^j}.$
I am interested in the coefficients ${a_{n,k,j}}$ such that
$$G_n^{(k)}(x)=\sum_{j\geq0 }{a_{n,...
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