A dimension series for multivariate splines

For a polyhedral subdivision Δ of a region in Euclideand-space, we consider the vector spaceC _k ^r (Δ) consisting of allC ^r piecewise polynomial functions over Δ of degree at mostk. We consider the formal power series ∑ _k≥0 dim_? C _k ^r (Δ)λ^k and show, under mild conditions on Δ, that this always has the formP(λ)/(1?λ) ^d+1, whereP(λ) is a polynomial in λ with integral coefficients which satisfiesP(0)=1,P(1)=f _d (Δ), andP′(1)=(r+1)f _d?1 ⁰ (Δ). We discuss how the polynomialP(λ) and bases for the spacesC _k ^r (Δ) can be effectively calculated by use of Gröbner basis techniques of computational commutative algebra. A further application is given to the theory of hyperplane arrangements.