Related papers: A combinatorial interpretation for a super-Catalan…
We establish combinatorial interpretations of several identities for the Catalan and Fine numbers and, along the way, we present some new bijections of independent interest. Briefly, we show that C_{n} = 1/(n+1) Sum_{k} (n+1)choose(2k+1)…
The Catalan numbers (C_n)_{n >= 0} = 1,1,2,5,14,42,... form one of the most venerable sequences in combinatorics. They have many combinatorial interpretations, from counting bracketings of products in non-associative algebra to counting…
Catalan numbers $C(n)=\frac{1}{n+1}{2n\choose n}$ enumerate binary trees and Dyck paths. The distribution of paths with respect to their number $k$ of factors is given by ballot numbers $B(n,k)=\frac{n-k}{n+k}{n+k\choose n}$. These integers…
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…
The Raney numbers $R_{p,r}(n)$ are a two-parameter generalization of the Catalan numbers that were introduced by Raney in his investigation of functional composition patterns \cite{Raney}. We give a new combinatorial interpretation for all…
This paper examines the recursive sequence of polynomials $p_n(x)$, defined by $p_0(x) = x^2 - 2$ and $p_n(x) = p_{n-1}(x)^2 - 2$ for $n \geq 1$. It describes the field-theoretic motivations behind this sequence, derives a recursive formula…
It is well known that the numbers $(2m)! (2n)!/m! n! (m+n)!$ are integers, but in general there is no known combinatorial interpretation for them. When $m=0$ these numbers are the middle binomial coefficients $\binom{2n}{n}$, and when $m=1$…
We consider a family of infinite sums of products of Catalan numbers, indexed by trees. We show that these sums are polynomials in $1/\pi$ with rational coefficients; the proof is effective and provides an algorithm to explicitly compute…
We consider planar cubic maps, i.e. connected cubic graphs imbedded into plane, with marked spanning tree and marked directed edge (not in this tree). The number of such objects with $2n$ vertices is $C_{2n}\cdot C_{n+1}$, where $C_k$ is…
We study polynomial summation over unit circles over finite fields of odd characteristic, obtaining a purely algebraic integration theory without recourse to infinite procedures. There are nonetheless strong parallels to classical…
We analyze a weighted convolution of Catalan numbers $$ \sum_{k=0}^{n} \binom{2k}{k}\binom{2(n-k)}{n-k} a^k = \sum_{k=0}^{n} (k+1)(n-k+1) C_k C_{n-k} a^k, $$ emphasizing its combinatorial, analytic, and probabilistic aspects. We derive a…
We announce a series of results on the combinatorial study of the q-Catalan triangle (C_{n,k}(q)), defined by C_{n,0}(q)=q^{n(n-1)/2} and C_{n,k}(q)=C_{n,k-1}(q)+q^{n-k-1}C_{n-1,k}(q). We establish combinatorial interpretations via a…
We develop basic cluster theory from an elementary point of view using a variation of binary trees which we call mixed cobinary trees. We show that the number of isomorphism classes of such trees is given by the Catalan number Cn where n is…
Working with generating functions, the combinatorics of a recurrence relation can be expressed in a way that allows for more efficient calculation of the quantity. This is true of the Catalan numbers for an ordered binary tree…
It is well known that the Catalan number C_n counts dissections of a regular (n+2)-gon into triangles. Here we count such dissections by number of triangles that contain two sides of the polygon among their three edges, leading to a…
The Lucas sequence is a sequence of polynomials in s, and t defined recursively by {0}=0, {1}=1, and {n}=s{n-1}+t{n-2} for n >= 2. On specialization of s and t one can recover the Fibonacci numbers, the nonnegative integers, and the…
We present an algorithmic mapping from permutations of length dn to labeled n-node d-ary trees and back again. Given such a bijection, one can interpret each of the factorials in the formula for the Catalan numbers as a count of…
The Super-Catalan numbers are a generalization of the Catalan numbers defined as $T(m,n) = \frac{(2m)!(2n)!}{2m!n!(m+n)!}$. It is an open problem to find a combinatorial interpretation for $T(m,n)$. We resolve this for $m=3,4$ using a…
The monic sequence that shifts left under convolution with itself is the Catalan numbers with 130+ combinatorial interpretations. Here we establish a combinatorial interpretation for the monic sequence that shifts left under composition: it…
The Catalan numbers form a sequence that counts over 200 combinatorial objects. A remarkable property of the Catalan numbers, which extends to these objects, is its recursive definition; that is, we can determine the $n^{th}$ object from…