English

Combinatorics on lattice paths in strips

Combinatorics 2020-04-03 v1

Abstract

For lattice paths in strips which begin at (0,0)(0,0) and have only up steps U:(i,j)(i+1,j+1)U: (i,j) \rightarrow (i+1,j+1) and down steps D:(i,j)(i+1,j1)D: (i,j)\rightarrow (i+1,j-1), let An,kA_{n,k} denote the set of paths of length nn which start at (0,0)(0,0), end on heights 00 or 1-1, and are contained in the strip k+12yk2-\lfloor\frac{k+1}{2}\rfloor \leq y \leq \lfloor\frac{k}{2}\rfloor of width kk, and let Bn,kB_{n,k} denote the set of paths of length nn which start at (0,0)(0,0) and are contained in the strip 0yk0 \leq y \leq k. We establish a bijection between An,kA_{n,k} and Bn,kB_{n,k}. The generating functions for the subsets of these two sets are discussed as well. Furthermore, we provide another bijection between An,3A_{n,3} and Bn,3B_{n,3} by translating the paths to two types of trees.

Keywords

Cite

@article{arxiv.2004.00684,
  title  = {Combinatorics on lattice paths in strips},
  author = {Nancy S. S. Gu and Helmut Prodinger},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2004.00684},
  year   = {2020}
}
R2 v1 2026-06-23T14:35:57.751Z