Related papers: Doubling modulo odd integers, generalizations, and…

The order $O_n(\sigma)$ of a permutation $\sigma$ of $n$ objects is the smallest integer $k \geq 1$ such that the $k$-th iterate of $\sigma$ gives the identity. A remarkable result about the order of a uniformly chosen permutation is due to…

Let n>=3 be an odd integer. For any integer a prime to n, define the permutation gamma_{a,n} of {1,...,(n-1)/2} by gamma_{a,n}(x)=n-\dec{ax}_n if {ax}_n>=(n+1)/2, and {ax}_n if {ax}_n<=(n-1)/2, where {x}_n denotes the least nonnegative…

Let $p$ be an odd prime and $e$ be a positive integer. We completely explain the permutation binomials and trinomials arising from the reversed Dickson polynomials of the $(k+1)$-th kind $D_{n,k}(1,x)$ over $\mathbb{F}_{p^e}$ when…

We show that for any mod $2^m$ characters, $\chi_1, \chi_2,$ the complete exponential sum, $$ \sum_{x=1}^{2^m}\chi_1(x) \chi_2(Ax^k+B), $$ has a simple explicit evaluation.

Permutation puzzles, such as the Rubik's Cube and the 15 puzzle, are enjoyed by the general public and mathematicians alike. Here we introduce quantum versions of permutation puzzles where the pieces of the puzzles are replaced with…

A new class of positive maps is introduced. It interpolates between positive and completely positive maps. It is shown that this class gives rise to a new characterization of entangled states. Additionally, it provides a refinement of the…

A perfect number is a number whose divisors add up to twice the number itself. The existence of odd perfect numbers is a millennia-old unsolved problem. This note proposes a proof of the nonexistence of odd perfect numbers. More generally,…

The double exponential formula was introduced for calculating definite integrals with singular point oscillation functions and Fourier-integrals. The double exponential transformation is not only useful for numerical computations but it is…

The ``overlapping-cycles shuffle'' mixes a deck of $n$ cards by moving either the $n$th card or the $(n-k)$th card to the top of the deck, with probability half each. We determine the spectral gap for the location of a single card, which,…

Starting from the cycle permutation sigma_(2^k) associated with the (2^k)-periodic orbit of the period doubling cascade we obtain the inverse permutation (sigma_(2^k))^-1. Then we build a matrix permutation related to (sigma_(2^k))^-1,…

In this thesis, we take a journey through two different but not dissimilar stories with an underlying theme of combinatorics emerging from scattering amplitudes in quantum field theories. The first part tells the tale of the…

For any positive integer $n$ and variables $a$ and $x$ we define the generalized Legendre polynomial $P_n(a,x)=\sum_{k=0}^n\b ak\b{-1-a}k(\frac{1-x}2)^k$. Let $p$ be an odd prime. In the paper we prove many congruences modulo $p^2$ related…

In this paper we deduce some new supercongruences modulo powers of a prime $p>3$. Let $d\in\{0,1,\ldots,(p-1)/2\}$. We show that $$\sum_{k=0}^{(p-1)/2}\frac{\binom{2k}k\binom{2k}{k+d}}{8^k}\equiv 0\ (\mbox{mod}\ p)\ \ \ \mbox{if}\ d\equiv…

In this paper we study combinatorial aspects of permutations of $\{1,\ldots,n\}$ and related topics. In particular, we prove that there is a unique permutation $\pi$ of $\{1,\ldots,n\}$ such that all the numbers $k+\pi(k)$ ($k=1,\ldots,n$)…

In this paper, we derive formal general formulas for noncommutative exponentiation and the exponential function, while also revisiting an unrecognized, and yet powerful theorem. These tools are subsequently applied to derive counterparts…

We introduce a new permutation statistic, namely, the number of cycles of length $q$ consisting of consecutive integers, and consider the distribution of this statistic among the permutations of $\{1,2,...,n\}$. We determine explicit…

A permutation statistic $\operatorname{st}$ is said to be shuffle-compatible if the distribution of $\operatorname{st}$ over the set of shuffles of two disjoint permutations $\pi$ and $\sigma$ depends only on $\operatorname{st}\pi$,…

Inspired by a question asked on the list {\tt mathfun}, we revisit {\em Kempner-like series}, i.e., harmonic sums $\sum' 1/n$ where the integers $n$ in the summation have ``restricted'' digits. First we give a short proof that $\lim_{k \to…

Let $$ A_{m,n}(a)=\sum_{j=0}^m (-4)^j {m+j\choose 2j}\sum_{k=0}^{n-1} \sin(a+2k\pi/n) \cos^{2j}(a+2k\pi/n) $$ and $$ B_{m,n}(a)=\sum_{j=0}^m (-4)^j {m+j+1\choose 2j+1}\sum_{k=0}^{n-1} \sin(a+2k\pi/n) \cos^{2j+1}(a+2k\pi/n), $$ where $m\geq…

Given integers $k,l\geq 2$, where either $l$ is odd or $k$ is even, let $n(k,l)$ denote the largest integer $n$ such that each element of $A_n$ is a product of $k$ many $l$-cycles. In 2008, M. Herzog, G. Kaplan and A. Lev proved that if…