Formal Power Series

  • A formal power series (or formal series) is an expression of the form , where are coefficients.

(Unlike a power series, a formal power series is not necessarily convergent, and the variable is treated as an indeterminate, and is not assigned a value. The series is treated as an algebraic object, rather than a function to be evaluated.)

Operations

  • (Addition)
  • (Multiplication) where
  • (Division) where (assuming )
  • Extracting coefficientstodo
  • (Composition)todo

Generating Functions

  • A generating function is a representation of an infinite sequence of numbers as the coefficients of a formal power series.
  • The (ordinary) generating function for the sequence is the formal power series defined by

todo read https://enumeration.ca/toolbox/generating-functions/

Usage

Usage for number of solutions

Generating function can also be used for number of nonnegative solutions of equation: . Then the coefficient of in the following generating function is the number of solutions.

Restrictions

Restriction for all Addends:

Special case example: a number of solutions of equation: . such that for any . The coefficient of in the following generating function is the number of solutions. Example generalization: a number of solutions of equation: . such that for any . The coefficient of in the following generating function is the number of solutions.

Equation with Coefficients Greater than 1

Number of solutions of equation . ^[question 7.13] The coefficient of in the following generating function is the number of solutions.

Partition

See Partition

Useful Generating Functions

Infinte Sum

Closed-formGF Sequence
depends on a const.
( is a const.)

Multiset coefficient

Closed-formGF Sequence

Finte sum

Closed-formGF Coefficients
depends on a const.
depends on a const.

OLD

Generating function
basic
multiplied by
, and multiplied by
multiplied by

useful identities of factoring out