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For each start point the step word is a bijection onto
Statement
Let be a step set, and . The map sending a lattice path to its step word is a bijection
whose inverse sends to the path traced by from (Lattice paths, step sets and step words). Consequently is finite with
the power being the natural-number exponentiation of Exponentiation of natural numbers, , and its agreement with the integer power in .
Facts & Assumptions
Given: a step set , a point and a natural number .
A lattice path of length with steps in from is a function with and for every with ; its step word is the word with ; and the path traced by from satisfies and for (Lattice paths, step sets and step words).
For : is a bijection if and only if there is a function with and , and such a is then unique ( is a bijection if and only if there is a function with and ; such a is unique, equals the inverse relation , and is itself a bijection).
For finite sets and , the set of functions is finite and (The set of functions between finite sets is finite, with ).
A property that holds at and passes from every natural number to its successor holds at every natural number: if a property satisfies and () for all , then holds for all (The principle of mathematical induction).
Proof
For and each with the difference lies in , so is a function , that is an element of ; for the domain is empty and is the empty word.
Given , the traced path lies in and its step word has -th letter , so ; conversely, given with , both and take the value at the index and both satisfy for , so the set of indices at which they agree contains and contains whenever it contains , whence they agree throughout and . Thus is a two-sided inverse of and is a bijection.
Since is finite and is finite with elements, is finite with , and transporting along the bijection of step 2.1 gives that is finite with the same cardinality. At both sides are , one empty path against the one empty word, and this holds also for ; for and both sides are .
Remarks
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What the lemma is for. Every count on this page is obtained by counting words and transporting the answer along this bijection, so the correspondence is proved once here and cited rather than re-established.
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The start point is fixed throughout. The map forgets , and a step word alone therefore determines a path only after a start point has been named.
Depends on
- Lattice paths, step sets and step words
- The set $A^{B}$ of functions $B \to A$ between finite sets is finite, with $\lvert A^{B}\rvert = \lvert A\rvert^{\lvert B\rvert}$
- $f : A \to B$ is a bijection if and only if there is a function $g : B \to A$ with $g \circ f = \Delta_A$ and $f \circ g = \Delta_B$; such a $g$ is unique, equals the inverse relation $f^{-1}$, and is itself a bijection
- The principle of mathematical induction
- Exponentiation of natural numbers, $m^{n}$, and its agreement with the integer power in $\mathbb{R}$
Used by
- Mₙ=∑_k∈ℕ, 2k≤ nC(n, 2k)Cₖ Corollary
- Rₙ=∑ₖ₌₀ⁿC(n+k, 2k)Cₖ Corollary
- Diagonal lattice paths with steps U=(1,1) and D=(1,-1), and the height function Definition
- Dyck paths of semilength n Definition
- Motzkin paths, Schröder paths, the Motzkin numbers Mₙ, the large Schröder numbers Rₙ, and their generating functions Definition
- Dₙ is a finite set Lemma
- Every Dyck path of semilength n+1 factors uniquely as U P D Q with P inDᵢ and Q inDₙ₋ᵢ Lemma
- The two step sets describe the same objects: U↦ N, D↦ E is a bijection matching the diagonal y=x with the level 0 Lemma
- Bₙ is exactly the set of words of length 2n over {texttt(,texttt)} in which every prefix has at least as many texttt( as texttt) and the totals are equal Theorem
- lvertM((0,0),(m,n))|=C(m+n, n) Theorem
- M(x)=1+x M(x)+x²M(x)², and 2x²M(x)=1-x-(1-2x-3x²)^1/2 Theorem
- R(x)=1+x R(x)+x R(x)², and 2x R(x)=1-x-(1-6x+x²)^1/2 Theorem
- The Chung–Feller theorem: for each k with 0≤ k≤ n, exactly Cₙ of the diagonal paths from (0,0) to (2n,0) have exactly 2k steps lying above level 0 Theorem
Dependency tree · two levels
39 results within two dependency steps of this one, each drawn at its shortest distance from it. An arrow runs from a result to what uses it, so the chart reads left to right and ends at this result, which carries a heavier outline. Every node is a link to that result. Click elsewhere on the chart to enlarge it.
Sources
- C. Krattenthaler, "Lattice Path Enumeration", ch. 10 of the Handbook of Enumerative Combinatorics, §10.1 (standard reference, not scraped)