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Showing posts from September, 2018

Simple one (Lucas theorem)

Consider the integers {n \choose k} for k=0,1,\ldots,n. It turns out that the number of those which are odd is always a power of 2. Proof. Direct application of Lucas theorem. \displaystyle {n \choose k} is odd exactly when the 1's in the binary represenation of k correspond only to 1's in the binary representation of n. If n has exactly d 1's then the number of such k is 2^d.

Yet another solution of an old problem

Consider a problem we already solved (in a weaker setting) in a previous post. Let x_1,\ldots, x_n be complex numbers, such that x_1^k+\cdots +x_n^k=0 for all k\in\{1,\ldots,n\}. Prove that all of the numbers are zeros. Here we would investigate another approach. The idea is simple. First we construct a matrix A whose characteristic polynomial has as roots x_1,\ldots, x_n. Then we use the fact that \text{Tr}(A^k)=x_1^k+\cdots+x_n^k to successively eliminate all the coefficients, hence showing that x_1,\ldots,x_n are roots of x^n=0. Assume x^n-a_1 x^{n-1}-\cdots-a_{n-1}x-a_n is a polynomial whose roots are precisely x_1,\ldots,x_n. Then the matrix $$  A= \begin{pmatrix}         a_1       & a_2 & a_3 & \dots & a_{n-1} & a_n \\         1       & 0 & 0 & \dots  &0 & 0 \\      ...

Product of sines

\prod_{k=1}^{n-1}\sin\left(\frac{k\pi}{n}\right)