The postage stamp problem and arithmetic in base <Emphasis Type="Italic">r</Emphasis>

Let h, k be fixed positive integers, and let A be any set of positive integers. Let hA ≔ {a ₁ + a ₂ + ... + a _r : a _i ∈ A, r ⩽ h} denote the set of all integers representable as a sum of no more than h elements of A, and let n(h, A) denote the largest integer n such that {1, 2,...,n} ⊆ hA. Let n(h, k) := : n(h, A), where the maximum is taken over all sets A with k elements. We determine n(h, A) when the elements of A are in geometric progression. In particular, this results in the evaluation of n(h, 2) and yields surprisingly sharp lower bounds for n(h, k), particularly for k = 3.     

A combinatorial problem involving graphs and matrices

In this paper we discuss a combinatorial problem involving graphs and matrices. Our problem is a matrix analogue of the classical problem of finding a system of distinct representatives (transversal) of a family of sets and relates closely to an extremal problem involving 1-factors and a long standing conjecture in the dimension theory of partially ordered sets. For an integer n ?1, let n denote the n element set {1,2,3,…, n}. Then let A be a k×t matrix. We say that A satisfies property P(n, k) when the following condition is satisfied: For every k-taple (x₁,x₂,…,x_k?n^k there exist k distinct integers j₁,j₂,…,j_k so that x_i= a_ii for i= 1,2,…,k. The minimum value of t for which there exists a k × t matrix A satisfying property P(n,k) is denoted by f(n,k). For each k?1 and n sufficiently large, we give an explicit formula for f(n, k): for each n?1 and k sufficiently large, we use probabilistic methods to provide inequalities for f(n,k).     

Positive values of non-homogeneous indefinite quadratic forms of type (1,4)

Let Γ _r,n-r denote the infimum of all numbers Γ>0 such that for any real indefinite quadraticQ inn variables of type (r, n?r), determinantD≠0 and real numbersc ₁,…,c _n there exist (x ₁,…,x _n )≡(c ₁,…,c _n ) (mod 1) satisfying $$0< Q(x_1 ,...,x_n ) \leqslant (\Gamma \left| D \right|)^{1/n} .$$ . All the values of Γ _r,3 are known except Γ_1,4. It is shown that $$8 \leqslant \Gamma _{1,4} \leqslant 16.$$ .     

A degree condition for the circumference of a graph

We present a new condition on the degree sums of a graph that implies the existence of a long cycle. Let c(G) denote the length of a longest cycle in the graph G and let m be any positive integer. Suppose G is a 2-connected graph with vertices x₁,…,x_n and edge set E that satisfies the property that, for any two integers j and k with j < k, x_jx_k ? E, d(x_i) ? j and d(x_k) ? K - 1, we have (1) d(x_i) + d(x_k ? m if j + k ? n and (2) if j + k < n, either m ? n or d(x_j) + d(x_k) ? min(K + 1,m). Then c(G) ? min(m, n). This result unifies previous results of J.C. Bermond and M. Las Vergnas, respectively.     

Loi fonctionnelle du logarithme itéré pour les incréments du processus des espacements

Let a_n(l): 0 ≤ /denote the reseated empirical process based upon uniform spacings. Let {h_n, n ≥ 1 } be a sequence decreasing to 0. Under appropriate conditions on h_n. We give a functional lnw of the iterated logarithm for the set of increment functions {a_n (l + h_n.) — a_n(l): 0 ≤ / ≤ 1 -h_n}.     

Note on the local growth of iterated polynomials

The local behavior of the iterates of a real polynomial is investigated. The fundamental result may be stated as follows: THEOREM. Let x_i, for i=1, 2, ..., n+2, be defined recursively by x_i+1=f(x_i), where x₁ is an arbitrary real number and f is a polynomial of degree n. Let x_i+1?x_i≧1 for i=1, ..., n + 1. Then for all i, 1 ≦i≦n, and all k, 1≦k≦n+1?i, $$ - \frac{{2^{k - 1} }}{{k!}}< f\left[ {x_1 ,... + x_{i + k} } \right]< \frac{{x_{i + k + 1} - x_{i + k} + 2^{k - 1} }}{{k!}},$$ where f[x_i, ..., x_i+k] denotes the Newton difference quotient. As a consequence of this theorem, the authors obtain information on the local behavior of the solutions of certain nonlinear difference equations. There are several cases, of which the following is typical: THEOREM. Let {x_i}, i = 1, 2, 3, ..., be the solution of the nonlinear first order difference equation x_i+1=f(x_i) where x₁ is an arbitrarily assigned real number and f is the polynomial \(f(x) = \sum\limits_{j = 0}^n {a_j x^j } ,n \geqq 2\) . Let δ be positive with δ^n?1=|2^n?1/n!a_n|. Then, if n is even and a_n<0, there do not exist n + 1 consecutive increments Δx_i=x_i+1?x_i in the solution {x_i} with Δx_i≧δ. The special case in which the iterated polynomial has integer coefficients leads to a “nice” upper bound on a generalization of the van der Waerden numbers. Ap _k -sequence of length n is defined to be a strictly increasing sequence of positive integers {x ₁, ...,x _n } for which there exists a polynomial of degree at mostk with integer coefficients and satisfyingf(x _j )=x _j+1 forj=1, 2, ...,n?1. Definep _k (n) to be the least positive integer such that if {1, 2, ...,p _k (n)} is partitioned into two sets, then one of the two sets must contain ap _k -sequence of lengthn. THEOREM. p_n?2(n)≦(n!)^(n?2)!/2.     

On the chromatic number of certain highly symmetric graphs

For 1 ⩽ k ⩽ n, let V(n, k) denote the set of n(n − 1) … (n − k + 1) sequences of k distinct elements from {1, …, n}. Let us define the graph Γ(n, k) on the vertex set V(n, k) by joining two sequences if they differ at exactly one place. We investigate the chromatic number and another related parameter of these graphs. We give a sharp answer for some infinite families, using the theory of sharply transitive permutation groups. The problems discussed are related to a question of Henkin, Monk and Tarski in mathematical logic.     

The general divisor problem

Let Δ_k(x) = Δ(a₁, …, a_k; x) be the error term in the asymptotic formula for the summatory function of the general divisor function d(a₁, …, a_k; n), which is generated by ζ(a₁s) … ζ(a_ks) (1 ≤ a₁ ≤ … ≤ a_k are fixed integers). Precise omega results for the mean square integral ∫₁^x Δ_k²(x) dx are given, with applications to some specific divisor problems.     

Siegel’s Lemma and Sum-Distinct Sets

Let L(x)=a ₁ x ₁+a ₂ x ₂+???+a _n x _n , n≥2, be a linear form with integer coefficients a ₁,a ₂,…,a _n which are not all zero. A basic problem is to determine nonzero integer vectors x such that L(x)=0, and the maximum norm ‖x‖ is relatively small compared with the size of the coefficients a ₁,a ₂,…,a _n . The main result of this paper asserts that there exist linearly independent vectors x ₁,…,x _n?1∈? ⁿ such that L(x _i )=0, i=1,…,n?1, and $$\|{\mathbf{x}}_{1}\|\cdots\|{\mathbf{x}}_{n-1}\|<\frac{\|{\mathbf{a}}\|}{\sigma_{n}},$$ where a=(a ₁,a ₂,…,a _n ) and $$\sigma_{n}=\frac{2}{\pi}\int_{0}^{\infty}\left(\frac{\sin t}{t}\right)^{n}\,dt.$$ This result also implies a new lower bound on the greatest element of a sum-distinct set of positive integers (Erdös–Moser problem). The main tools are the Minkowski theorem on successive minima and the Busemann theorem from convex geometry.     

On a problem of P. Erdös

Let n be a positive integer and let A = {a₁,…, a_s}, B = {b₁,…, b_t} be two sets of positive integers such that the product set consists of st distinct numbers. Then, for a certain positive constant c, $\text{st ≤ c}\text{n}{}^2\text{log}\text{n}$, establishing a conjecture made by P. Erdös.     

Cofinite subsets of asymptotic bases for the positive integers

Let A be an infinite set of integers containing at most finitely many negative terms. Let hA denote the set of all integers n such that n is a sum of h elements of A. Let F be a finite subset of A.Theorem. If hA contains an infinite arithmetic progression with difference d, and if $\text{gcd}\text{{a?a′¦a,a′∈AF} = d}$, then there exists q such that q(A\F) contains an infinite arithmetic progression. In particular, if A is an asymptotic basis, then A\F is an asymptotic basis if and only if gcd{a?a′|a,a′∈A\F} = 1.Theorem. If A is an asymptotic basis of order h, and if F?A, card(F) = k, and A\F is an asymptotic basis, then the exact order of A\F is O(h^k+1).     

A symmetry relationship for a class of partitions

Let S(n, k, v) denote the number of vectors (a₀,…, a_n?1) with nonnegative integer components that satisfy a₀ + … + a_{n ? 1} = k and Σ_i=0^n?1ia_i ≡ v (mod n). Two proofs are given for the relation S(n, k, v) = S(k, n, v). The first proof is by algebraic enumeration while the second is by combinatorial construction.     

Adjacency preserving functions on symmetric elements and linear preservers of non-zero decomposable symmetric tensors

Let A be a non-empty set and m be a positive integer. Let ≡ be the equivalence relation defined on A ^m such that (x ₁, …, x _m ) ≡ (y ₁, …, y _m ) if there exists a permutation σ on {1, …, m} such that y _σ(i) = x _i for all i. Let A ^(m) denote the set of all equivalence classes determined by ≡. Two elements X and Y in A ^(m) are said to be adjacent if (x ₁, …, x _m?1, a) ∈ X and (x ₁, …, x _m?1, b) ∈ Y for some x ₁, …, x _m?1 ∈ A and some distinct elements a, b ∈ A. We study the structure of functions from A ^(m) to B ⁽ⁿ⁾ that send adjacent elements to adjacent elements when A has at least n + 2 elements and its application to linear preservers of non-zero decomposable symmetric tensors.     

Periodicities of partition functions and stirling numbers modulo p

If p(n, k) is the number of partitions of n into parts ≤k, then the sequence {p(k, k), p(k + 1, k),…} is periodic modulo a prime p. We find the minimum period Q = Q(k, p) of this sequence. More generally, we find the minimum period, modulo p, of {p(n; T)}_{n ≥ 0}, the number of partitions of n whose parts all lie in a fixed finite set T of positive integers. We find the minimum period, modulo p, of {S(k, k), S(k + 1, k),…}, where these are the Stirling numbers of the second kind. Some related congruences are proved. The methods involve the use of cyclotomic polynomials over Z_p[x].     

The characterization of sort sequences

A sort sequenceS _n is a sequence of all unordered pairs of indices inI _n = 1, 2, ...,n. With a sort sequenceS _n, we associate a sorting algorithmA(S _n) to sort input setX = x ₁, x₂, ..., x_n as follows. An execution of the algorithm performs pairwise comparisons of elements in the input setX as defined by the sort sequenceS _n, except that the comparisons whose outcomes can be inferred from the outcomes of the previous comparisons are not performed. Let χ(S _n) denote the average number of comparisons required by the algorithmA(S _n assuming all input orderings are equally likely. Let χ*(n) and χ°(n) denote the minimum and maximum values, respectively, of χ(S _n) over all sort sequencesS _n. Exact determination of χ*(n), χO(n) and associated extremal sort sequences seems difficult. Here, we obtain bounds on χ*(n) and χO(n).     

Alternating sequences

Let a=(α₁, α₂, α₃, …) be a sequence of positive integers. The sequence (c₁, c₂, …, c₃) is a-alternating if 1 ? c₁ < c₂ < … < c_k ? n and in additionthe first α₁ elements have the same parity, the next α₂ elements have opposite parity, the next α₃ elements have the parity of the first group, and so on. The final group of elements of like parity is permitted to have fewer elements than the required number. Let $\text{?(a; n, k)}$ denote the number of a-alternating sequences of length k. An explicit formula for $\text{? (a;n, k)}$ is obtained.     

Zeros of analytic functions and norms of inverse matrices

Letk _n be the smallest constant such that for anyn-dimensional normed spaceX and any invertible linear operatorT ∈L(X) we have $|\det (T)| \cdot ||T^{ - 1} || \le k_n |||T|^{n - 1} $ . LetA ₊ be the Banach space of all analytic functionsf(z)=Σ _k≥0 a _kz^k on the unit diskD with absolutely convergent Taylor series, and let ‖f‖A ₊=σ _k≥0 |ακ|; define ? _n on $\overline D ^n $ by $ \begin{array}{l} \varphi _n \left( {\lambda _1 ,...,\lambda _n } \right) \\ = inf\left\{ {\left\| f \right\|_{A + } - \left| {f\left( 0 \right)} \right|; f\left( z \right) = g\left( z \right)\prod\limits_{i = 1}^n {\left( {\lambda _1 - z} \right), } g \in A_ + , g\left( 0 \right) = 1 } \right\} \\ \end{array} $ . We show thatk _n=sup {? _n(λ₁,…, λ _n ); (λ₁,…, λ _n )∈ $\overline D ^n $ }. Moreover, ifS is the left shift operator on the space ?∞:S(x ₀,x ₁, …,x _p, …)=(x ₁,…,x _p,…) and if J_n(S) denotes the set of allS-invariantn-dimensional subspaces of ?∞ on whichS is invertible, we have $k_n = \sup \{ |\det (S|_E )|||(S|_E )^{ - 1} ||E \in J_n (S)\} $ . J. J. Schäffer (1970) proved thatk _n≤√en and conjectured thatk _n=2, forn≥2. In factk ₃>2 and using the preceding results, we show that, up to a logarithmic factor,k _n is of the order of √n whenn→+∞.     

A subdeterminant inequality for normal matrices

Let A be an n × n normal matrix over $\text{C}$, and Q_m, _n be the set of strictly increasing integer sequences of length m chosen from 1,…,n. For α, β ? Q_m, _n denote by A[α|β] the submatrix obtained from A by using rows numbered α and columns numbered β. For k ? {0, 1,…, m} we write |α∩β| = k if there exists a rearrangement of 1,…, m, say i₁,…, i_k, i_k+1,…, i_m, such that α(i_j) = β(i_j), i = 1,…, k, and {α(i_k+1),…, α(i_m) } ∩ {β(i_k+1),…, β(i_m) } = ?. A new bound for |detA[α|β ]| is obtained in terms of the eigenvalues of A when 2m = n and |α∩β| = 0.Let $\text{U}$_n be the group of n × n unitary matrices. Define the nonnegative number

where | α ∩ β| = k. It is proved that

Let A be semidefinite hermitian. We conjecture that ρ₀(A) ? ρ₁(A) ? ··· ? ρ_m(A). These inequalities have been tested by machine calculations.     

The periods of the sequences generated by some symmetric shift registers

E_k(x₂,…, x_n) is defined by E_k(a₂,…, a_n) = 1 if and only if ∑_i=2ⁿa_i = k. We determine the periods of sequences generated by the shift registers with the feedback functions x₁ + E_k(x₂,…, x_n) and x₁ + E_k(x₂,…, x_n) + E_k+1(x₂,…, x_n) over the field GF(2).     

A generalization of the Kruskal-Katona theorem

Let k_n ? k_n?1 ? … ? k₁ be positive integers and let ($\text{i}\text{j}$) denote the coefficient of xⁱ in $\text{Π}\text{r=1}\text{j}\text{(1 + x + x}{}^2\text{+ … + x}{}^{\mathrm{kr}}\text{)}$. For given integers l, m, where 1 ? l ? k_n + k_n?1 + … + k₁ and $\text{1 ? m ? (}\text{n}\text{n}\text{)}$, it is shown that there exist unique integers m(l), m(l ? 1),…, m(t), satisfying certain conditions, for which $\text{m = (}\text{m(l)}\text{l}\text{+ (}\text{m(l?1)}\text{l?1}\text{) + … + (}\text{m(t)}\text{t}\text{)}$. Moreover, any m l-subsets of a multiset with k_i elements of type i, i = 1, 2,…, n, will contain at least $\text{(}\text{m(l)}\text{l?1}\text{) + (}\text{m(l?1)}\text{l?2}\text{) + … + (}\text{m(t)}\text{t?1}$ different (l ? 1)-subsets. This result has been anticipated by Greene and Kleitman, but the formulation there is not completely correct. If k₁ = 1, the numbers ($\text{j}\text{i}$) are binomial coefficients and the result is the Kruskal-Katona theorem.