2,2

This formula and its first two values are given in Bergman, p. 18. Abstract: Erdos and Szekeres showed in 1978 that for any four positive integers satisfying m_1+m_2 = n_1+n_2, the two binomial coefficients (m_1+m_2)!/m_1! m_2! and (n_1+n_2)!/n_1! n_2! have a common divisor >1. The analogous statement for families of k k-nomial coefficients (k>1) was conjectured in 1997 by David Wasserman. Erdos and Szekeres remark that if m_1, m_2, n_1, n_2 as above are all >1, there is probably a lower bound on the common divisor in question which goes to infinity as a function of m_1+m_2. Such a bound is here obtained.

Results are proved that narrow the class of possible counterexamples to Wasserman's conjecture. On the other hand, several plausible generalizations of that conjecture are shown to be false.

George M. Bergman, On common divisors of multinomial coefficients, June 3, 2008.

a(n) = (n^n) - 1 - n*(n-1). a(n) = A000312(n) - 1 - n*(n-1).

Cf. A000312.

Sequence in context: A073398 A040075 A138442 this_sequence A123954 A125432 A055757

Adjacent sequences: A140121 A140122 A140123 this_sequence A140125 A140126 A140127

easy,nonn

Jonathan Vos Post (jvospost3(AT)gmail.com), Jun 04 2008