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Matthias Beck

Publications and source records attributed to Matthias Beck.

100 records · Page 6Linked to original sources

Counting Lattice Points by means of the Residue Theorem

We use the residue theorem to derive an expression for the number of lattice oints in a dilated n-dimensional tetrahedron with vertices at lattice points on each coordinate axis and the origin. This expression is known as the Ehrhart polynomial. We show that it is a polynomial in t, where t is the integral dilation parameter. We prove the Ehrhart-Macdonald reciprocity law for these tetrahedra, relating the Ehrhart polynomials of the interior and the closure of the tetrahedra. To illustrate our method, we compute the Ehrhart coefficient for codimension 2. Finally, we show how our ideas can be used to compute the Ehrhart polynomial for an arbitrary convex lattice polytope.

math.CO↗

A shorter, simpler, stronger proof of the Meshalkin-Hochberg-Hirsch bounds on componentwise antichains

Meshalkin's theorem states that a class of ordered p-partitions of an n-set has at most $\max \binom{n}{a_1,...,a_p}$ members if for each k the k'th parts form an antichain. We give a new proof of this and the corresponding LYM inequality due to Hochberg and Hirsch, which is simpler and more general than previous proofs. It extends to a common generalization of Meshalkin's theorem and Erdos's theorem about r-chain-free set families.

math.CO↗

Higher-dimensional Dedekind sums and their bounds arising from the discrete diagonal of the n-cube

Higher-dimensional Dedekind sums are defined as a generalization of a recent 1-dimensional probability model of Dilcher and Girstmair to a d-dimensional cube. The analysis of the frequency distribution of marked lattice points leads to new formulae in certain special cases, and to new bounds for the classical Dedekind sums. Upper bounds for the generalized Dedekind sums are defined in terms of 1-dimensional moments. In the classical two-dimensional case, the ratio of these sums to their upper bounds are cosines of angles between certain vectors of n-dimensional cones, conjectured to have a largest spacial angle of pi/6.

math.NT↗

The Frobenius problem, rational polytopes, and Fourier-Dedekind Sums

We study the number of lattice points in integer dilates of the rational polytope $P = (x_1,...,x_n) \in \R_{\geq 0}^n : \sum_{k=1}^n x_k a_k \leq 1$, where $a_1,...,a_n$ are positive integers. This polytope is closely related to the linear Diophantine problem of Frobenius: given relatively prime positive integers $a_1,...,a_n$, find the largest value of t (the Frobenius number) such that $m_1 a_1 + ... + m_n a_n = t$ has no solution in positive integers $m_1,...,m_n$. This is equivalent to the problem of finding the largest dilate tP such that the facet $\sum_{k=1}^n x_k a_k = t$ contains no lattice point. We present two methods for computing the Ehrhart quasipolynomials of P which count the integer points in the dilated polytope and its interior. Within the computations a Dedekind-like finite Fourier sum appears. We obtain a reciprocity law for these sums, generalizing a theorem of Gessel. As a corollary of our formulas, we rederive the reciprocity law for Zagier's higher-dimensional Dedekind sums. Finally, we find bounds for the Fourier-Dedekind sums and use them to give new bounds for the Frobenius number.

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The Reciprocity Law for Dedekind Sums via the constant Ehrhart coefficient

We obtain a new motivated proof of the reciprocity law for Dedekind sums by computing the constant coefficient of the Ehrhart polynomial for a rectangular triangle in two ways. On the one hand, the constant term is the Euler characteristic, and on the other hand it is given by a cotangent Laurent expansion.

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The volume of the 10th Birkhoff polytope

The n'th Birkhoff polytope $B_n$ is the set of all doubly stochastic $n \times n$ matrices, that is, those matrices with nonnegative real coefficients in which every row and column sums to one. A long-standing open problem is the determination of the relative volume of $B_n$. In [arXiv:math.CO/0202267] we introduced a method of calculating this volume and used it to compute $\vol B_9$. This note is an update on our progress: with the same program (but much longer computing time), we have now derived $\vol B_{10}$.

math.CO↗

An extension of the Frobenius coin-exchange problem

Given positive integers $a_1,...,a_n$ with $\gcd(a_1,...,a_n) = 1$, we call an integer t representable if there exist nonnegative integers $m_1,...,m_n$ such that $t = m_1 a_1 + ... + m_n a_n$. In this paper, we discuss the linear diophantine problem of Frobenius: namely, find the largest integer which is not representable. We call this largest integer the Frobenius number $g(a_1,...,a_n)$. We extend this problem to asking for the smallest integer $g_k(a_1,...,a_d)$ beyond which every integer is represented more than k times. We concentrate on the case d=2 and prove statements about $g_k(a,b)$ similar in spirit to classical results known about g(a,b).

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A unifying generalization of Sperner's theorem

Sperner's bound on the size of an antichain in the lattice P(S) of subsets of a finite set S has been generalized in three different directions: by Erdos to subsets of P(S) in which chains contain at most r elements; by Meshalkin to certain classes of compositions of S; by Griggs, Stahl, and Trotter through replacing the antichains by certain sets of pairs of disjoint elements of P(S). We unify Erdos's, Meshalkin's, and Griggs-Stahl-Trotter's inequalities with a common generalization. We similarly unify their accompanying LYM inequalities. Our bounds do not in general appear to be the best possible.

math.CO↗

Arithmetic partition sums and orbits of Z_n^k under the symmetric group S_k

We study M(n,k,r), the number of orbits of {(a_1,...,a_k)\in Z_n^k | a_1+...+a_k = r (mod n)} under the action of S_k. Equivalently, M(n,k,r) sums the partition numbers of an arithmetic sequence: M(n,k,r) = sum_{t \geq 0} p(n-1,k,r+nt), where p(a,b,t) denotes the number of partitions of t into at most b parts, each of which is at most a. We derive closed formulas and various identities for such arithmetic partition sums. These results have already appeared in Elashvili/Jibladze/Pataraia, Combinatorics of necklaces and "Hermite reciprocity", J. Alg. Combin. 10 (1999) 173-188, and the main result was also published by Von Sterneck in Sitzber. Akad. Wiss. Wien. Math. Naturw. Class. 111 (1902), 1567-1601 (see Lemma 2 and references in math.NT/9909121). Thanks to Don Zagier and Robin Chapman for bringing these references to our attention.

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