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27 votes
3 answers
2k views

Kasteleyn's formula for domino tilings generalized?

It seems a marvel when a bunch of irrational numbers "conspire" to become rational, even better an integer. An elementary example is $\prod_{j=1}^n4\cos^2\left(\pi j/(2n+1)\right)=1$. Kasteleyn's ...
T. Amdeberhan's user avatar
12 votes
3 answers
784 views

Can the equation $1+z+z^2=z^n$ for natural $n$ have multiple complex roots $z$?

The question is stated in the title of this post. It is easy to see that, if $z$ is a multiple root of $p_n(z):=1+z+z^2-z^n$, then $(n-2)z^2+(n-1)z+n=0$, so that we can successively express $z^2,\dots,...
Iosif Pinelis's user avatar
2 votes
1 answer
177 views

Another combinatorial identity

Is it true that $$\sum_{r=0}^p \sum_{i=0}^r a_{n,p,r,i}=0$$ for all natural $n$ and all natural $p\ge2n$, where $$a_{n,p,r,i}:=\frac{(-1)^r (n+p-r-1)! (n p-i (r-i))}{i!(r-i)! (n-i)! (p-r+i)! (n-r+i)! ...
Iosif Pinelis's user avatar