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arXiv · 2012.12976

A Plethora of Polynomials: A Toolbox for Counting Problems

Tristram Bogart·Kevin Woods
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Abstract

A wide variety of problems in combinatorics and discrete optimization depend on counting the set $S$ of integer points in a polytope, or in some more general object constructed via discrete geometry and first-order logic. We take a tour through numerous problems of this type. In particular, we consider families of such sets $S_t$ depending on one or more integer parameters $t$, and analyze the behavior of the function $f(t)=|S_t|$. In the examples that we investigate, this function exhibits surprising polynomial-like behavior. We end with two broad theorems detailing settings where this polynomial-like behavior must hold. The plethora of examples illustrates the framework in which this behavior occurs and also gives an intuition for many of the proofs, helping us create a toolbox for counting problems like these.

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Tristram Bogart, Kevin Woods. 2020-12-23. A Plethora of Polynomials: A Toolbox for Counting Problems. https://arxiv.org/abs/2012.12976

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