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12 votes
4 answers
6k views

Estimating a partial sum of weighted binomial coefficients

There is a well-known estimate for the sum of all binomial coefficients $\binom{n}{k}$ satisfying $k \leq \alpha n$ for some $\alpha$ satisfying $0 < \alpha \leq 1/2$: $$ \sum_{k=0}^{\alpha n}\...
bandini's user avatar
  • 491
13 votes
5 answers
1k views

Asymptotics of a Bernoulli-number-like function

Tony Lezard asked me the following question which seemed like it should not be too hard but which I did not immediately see how to answer. Define $f(n,k)$ recursively by $f(1,k) = 1$ and $$f(n,k) = \...
Timothy Chow's user avatar
  • 82.7k
9 votes
2 answers
791 views

Asymptotic difference between a function and its "binomial average"

(I posted this question on Math.SE a few weeks ago. I got a few comments, but nothing definite, and so I thought I would try MO.) The origin of this question is the identity $$\sum_{k=0}^n \binom{n}{...
Mike Spivey's user avatar
  • 3,283
5 votes
2 answers
379 views

Asymptotic rate for $\sum\binom{n}k^{-1}$

This MO question prompted me to ask: What is the second order asymptotic growth/decay rate for the sum $$\sum_{k=0}^n\frac1{\binom{n}k}$$ as $n\rightarrow\infty$?
T. Amdeberhan's user avatar
5 votes
1 answer
685 views

Summing ratio of ratio of partial sums of binomial coefficients

I would like to approximate the following when $n \gg k$. $\sum_{y = k + 1}^n \frac{\sum_{m = 0}^{k - 1} {y - 2 \choose m} (y - 1)}{\sum_{m = 0}^k {y - 1 \choose m}}.$ The formula can be re-written ...
ELW's user avatar
  • 83
3 votes
0 answers
585 views

Sum of binomial coefficients weighted by a lower incomplete regularized gamma function

The following summation turned up in the course of my research: $$S_n=\sum_{k=0}^n {n \choose k}\lambda^k P(k,t)$$ where $P(k,t)=\frac{1}{\Gamma(k)}\int_{0}^t e^{-x}x^{k-1}dx$ is the lower ...
Bullmoose's user avatar
  • 907
2 votes
1 answer
147 views

Tight sublinear estimates for a triple partial binomial summation

Is there tight estimates for the following logarithmic summation ($\gamma,\gamma'\in(0,1)$ and $\mu,\mu'>0$) $$\log_2\Bigg(\sum_{t=\frac{n^{}}2-n^\gamma\sqrt{\mu\ln n}}^{\frac{n^{}}2+n^\gamma\sqrt{...
VS.'s user avatar
  • 1,826
2 votes
1 answer
235 views

Sum of squares of middle binomial sums or 'Truncated mean' of binomial coefficients under binomial distribution

$\mu=1+\epsilon$ where $\epsilon>0$ holds. 1.Is there a good bound for $$T=\frac{\sum_{i=-\sqrt{\mu n\ln n}}^{\sqrt{\mu n\ln n}}\binom{n}{\frac n2 +i}^2}{2^n}?$$ This quantity can be ...
VS.'s user avatar
  • 1,826
1 vote
1 answer
124 views

Tight estimates for binomial summation

Is there tight estimates for the following logarithmic summation ($\gamma\in(0,1)$) $$\ln\Bigg(\sum_{t=\frac{n^{}}2-\gamma n^\gamma}^{\frac{n^{}}2+\gamma n^\gamma}\sum_{\ell=\frac{n^{}}2-\gamma n^\...
VS.'s user avatar
  • 1,826
0 votes
1 answer
208 views

Local behavior of the Vandermonde convolution

An interesting combinatorial identity is the Vandermonde convolution identity: $$ \sum_k {n\choose k}{m\choose s-k} = {n+m \choose s},$$ which can be proved by considering the coefficients in $(x+1)^{...
Student's user avatar
  • 5,230