arXiv subjects

Aidan Dunkelberg

Publications and source records attributed to Aidan Dunkelberg.

4 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

One and Seven-Eighths Divisibility Problems of Propp

We provide one full solution, and another nearly complete solution, to two problems from Jim Propp's 1999 article "Enumeration of matchings; problems and progress" (namely, Problems 30 and 31) involving divisibility properties of the number of matchings of two non-bipartite triangular graphs. We extend our method of proof of the second problem to show that the number of matchings of any graph composed of tetrahedral cells, such that the number of cells is suitably few relative to the number of vertices, is divisible by a power of 3; in particular, we then exhibit a collection of non-planar graphs whose number of matchings is divisible by 3.

math.CO↗

arXiv2022

Very Well-Covered Graphs with the Erdős-Ko-Rado Property

A family of independent $r$-sets of a graph $G$ is an $r$-star if every set in the family contains some fixed vertex $v$. A graph is $r$-EKR if the maximum size of an intersecting family of independent $r$-sets is the size of an $r$-star. Holroyd and Talbot conjecture that a graph is $r$-EKR as long as $1\leq r\leq\frac{μ(G)}{2}$, where $μ(G)$ is the minimum size of a maximal independent set. It is suspected that the smallest counterexample to this conjecture is a well-covered graph. Here we consider the class of very well-covered graphs $G^*$ obtained by appending a single pendant edge to each vertex of $G$. We prove that the pendant complete graph $K_n^*$ is $r$-EKR when $n \geq 2r$ and strictly so when $n>2r$. Pendant path graphs $P_n^*$ are also explored and the vertex whose $r$-star is of maximum size is determined.

math.CO↗

arXiv2020

Winning Strategy for the Multiplayer and Multialliance Zeckendorf Games

Edouard Zeckendorf proved that every positive integer $n$ can be uniquely written \cite{Ze} as the sum of non-adjacent Fibonacci numbers, known as the Zeckendorf decomposition. Based on Zeckendorf's decomposition, we have the Zeckendorf game for multiple players. We show that when the Zeckendorf game has at least $3$ players, none of the players have a winning strategy for $n\geq 5$. Then we extend the multi-player game to the multi-alliance game, finding some interesting situations in which no alliance has a winning strategy. This includes the two-alliance game, and some cases in which one alliance always has a winning strategy. %We examine what alliances, or combinations of players, can win, and what size they have to be in order to do so. We also find necessary structural constraints on what alliances our method of proof can show to be winning. Furthermore, we find some alliance structures which must have winning strategies. %We also extend the Generalized Zeckendorf game from $2$-players to multiple players. We find that when the game has $3$ players, player $2$ never has a winning strategy for any significantly large $n$. We also find that when the game has at least $4$ players, no player has a winning strategy for any significantly large $n$.

math.NT↗

arXiv2020

Extending Zeckendorf's Theorem to a Non-constant Recurrence and the Zeckendorf Game on this Non-constant Recurrence Relation

Zeckendorf's Theorem states that every positive integer can be uniquely represented as a sum of non-adjacent Fibonacci numbers, indexed from $1, 2, 3, 5,\ldots$. This has been generalized by many authors, in particular to constant coefficient fixed depth linear recurrences with positive (or in some cases non-negative) coefficients. In this work we extend this result to a recurrence with non-constant coefficients, $a_{n+1} = n a_{n} + a_{n-1}$. The decomposition law becomes every $m$ has a unique decomposition as $\sum s_i a_i$ with $s_i \le i$, where if $s_i = i$ then $s_{i-1} = 0$. Similar to Zeckendorf's original proof, we use the greedy algorithm. We show that almost all the gaps between summands, as $n$ approaches infinity, are of length zero, and give a heuristic that the distribution of the number of summands tends to a Gaussian. Furthermore, we build a game based upon this recurrence relation, generalizing a game on the Fibonacci numbers. Given a fixed integer $n$ and an initial decomposition of $n= na_1$, the players alternate by using moves related to the recurrence relation, and whoever moves last wins. We show that the game is finite and ends at the unique decomposition of $n$, and that either player can win in a two-player game. We find the strategy to attain the shortest game possible, and the length of this shortest game. Then we show that in this generalized game when there are more than three players, no player has the winning strategy. Lastly, we demonstrate how one player in the two-player game can force the game to progress to their advantage.

math.NT↗