Related questions: - [Number of open tours by a biased rook on a specific $f(n)\times 1$ board which end on a $k$-th cell from the right][1] - [Sum with products turned into subsequences][2] - [Combinatorial interpretation of inverse modulo $2$ binomial transform of A284005][3] Let $a_{1}(n)$ ([A284005][4]) be the number of open tours by a biased rook of the first kind which make its tours on a specific $f(n)\times 1$ board (which ends on any cell) where $f(n) = \left\lfloor\log_2{2n}\right\rfloor + 1$ and cells are colored white or black according to the binary representation of $2n$. A cell is colored white if the binary digit is $0$ and a cell is colored black if the binary digit is $1$. A biased rook on a white cell moves only to the left and otherwise moves in any direction. Let $a_{2}(n)$ ([A329369][5]) be the number of open tours by a biased rook of the second kind which make its tours on a specific $f(n)\times 1$ board (which ends on a white cell) where $f(n) = \left\lfloor\log_2{2n}\right\rfloor + 1$ and cells are colored white or black according to the binary representation of $2n$. A cell is colored white if the binary digit is $0$ and a cell is colored black if the binary digit is $1$. A biased rook on a white cell moves only to the left and otherwise moves only to the right. First I want to prove that \begin{align} a_{1}(0)& = 1\\ a_{1}(n)& = (1+\operatorname{wt}(n))a_{1}(\left\lfloor\frac{n}{2}\right\rfloor) \end{align} Here $\operatorname{wt}(n)$ is [A000120][1], number of $1$'s in binary expansion of $n$ (or the binary weight of $n$). Suppose we have a sequence of black cells $$\underbrace{1\cdots1}_{k}$$ According to the conditions, biased rook on a black cell moves in any direction. Then it is obvious that we have $k$ ways to choose the $1$st cell, $k-1$ ways to choose the $2$nd cell, etc. As a result, we have $k!$ open tours by a biased rook of the first kind. Next we have the following sequence of cells $$\underbrace{1\cdots1}_{k_2}0\underbrace{1\cdots1}_{k_1}$$ Imagine that there is no white cell as in the previous case, then we start with $(k_1+k_2)!$. Then we ask ourselves the question: how many ways can we insert a white cell into the sequence of visiting black cells? Obviously, we can insert it in front of the leftmost black cells and also at the end. As a result, we have $(k_1+k_2)!(k_2+1)$ open tours by a biased rook of the first kind. Next we have $$\underbrace{1\cdots1}_{k_2}00\underbrace{1\cdots1}_{k_1}$$ Here it is obvious that we cannot put the $1$st cell on the right after of the $1$st cell on the left, since by the condition biased rook on a white cell moves only to the left. As a result, we have $(k_1+k_2)!(k_2+1)^2$ open tours by a biased rook of the first kind. Next we have $$\underbrace{1\cdots1}_{k_2}\underbrace{0\cdots0}_{j_2}\underbrace{1\cdots1}_{k_1}\underbrace{0\cdots0}_{j_1}$$ As a result, we have $(k_1+k_2)!(k_2+1)^{j_2}(k_1+k_2+1)^{j_1}$ open tours by a biased rook of the first kind. Next we have $$\underbrace{1\cdots1}_{k_m}\underbrace{0\cdots0}_{j_m}\cdots\underbrace{1\cdots1}_{k_2}\underbrace{0\cdots0}_{j_2}\underbrace{1\cdots1}_{k_1}\underbrace{0\cdots0}_{j_1}$$ As a result, we have $$a_1(n)=(\sum\limits_{i=1}^{m}k_i)!\prod\limits_{p=1}^{m}(1+\sum\limits_{q=p}^{m}k_q)^{j_q}$$ Then if we add a white cell on the right, we have $$a_1(2n)=(\sum\limits_{i=1}^{m}k_i)!\prod\limits_{p=1}^{m}(1+\sum\limits_{q=p}^{m}k_q)^{j_{p}+[p=1]}=(1+\sum\limits_{q=1}^{m}k_q)(\sum\limits_{i=1}^{m}k_i)!\prod\limits_{p=1}^{m}(1+\sum\limits_{q=p}^{m}k_q)^{j_p}$$ Here $$\sum\limits_{q=1}^{m}k_q=\operatorname{wt}(n)$$ so $$a_1(2n)=(1+\operatorname{wt}(n))a(n)=(1+\operatorname{wt}(2n))a(n)$$ Don't forget that for $a(n)$ we are working with a binary representation of $2n$, then for $a(2n+1)$ we have 2 options: $$\underbrace{1\cdots1}_{k_m}\underbrace{0\cdots0}_{j_m}\cdots\underbrace{1\cdots1}_{k_2}\underbrace{0\cdots0}_{j_2}\underbrace{1\cdots1}_{k_1}1\underbrace{0}_{j_1}$$ $$\underbrace{1\cdots1}_{k_m}\underbrace{0\cdots0}_{j_m}\cdots\underbrace{1\cdots1}_{k_2}\underbrace{0\cdots0}_{j_2}\underbrace{1\cdots1}_{k_1}\underbrace{0\cdots0}_{j_{1}-1}\underbrace{1}_{k_{0}}\underbrace{0}_{j_{0}}$$ Then we have $$a_1(2n+1)=(\sum\limits_{i=1}^{m}k_i+[i=1])!\prod\limits_{p=1}^{m}(1+\sum\limits_{q=p}^{m}k_q+[q=1])^{j_{p}}=(2+\sum\limits_{q=1}^{m}k_q)(1+\sum\limits_{i=1}^{m}k_i)!\prod\limits_{p=2}^{m}(1+\sum\limits_{q=p}^{m}k_q)^{j_p}=(2+\sum\limits_{q=1}^{m}k_q)(\sum\limits_{i=1}^{m}k_i)!\prod\limits_{p=1}^{m}(1+\sum\limits_{q=p}^{m}k_q)^{j_p}=(2+\operatorname{wt}(n))a(n)=(1+\operatorname{wt}(2n+1))a(n)$$ and $$a_1(2n+1)=(1+\sum\limits_{i=1}^{m}k_i)!\prod\limits_{p=0}^{m}(1+\sum\limits_{q=p}^{m}k_q)^{j_{p}-[p=1]}=(1+\sum\limits_{q=0}^{m}k_q)(1+\sum\limits_{i=1}^{m}k_i)(\sum\limits_{i=1}^{m}k_i)!\prod\limits_{p=1}^{m}(1+\sum\limits_{q=p}^{m}k_q)^{j_p-[p=1]}=(2+\sum\limits_{q=1}^{m}k_q)(\sum\limits_{i=1}^{m}k_i)!\prod\limits_{p=1}^{m}(1+\sum\limits_{q=p}^{m}k_q)^{j_p}=(2+\operatorname{wt}(n))a(n)=(1+\operatorname{wt}(2n+1))a(n)$$ QED Second I want to prove that $$a_1(n) = \sum\limits_{j=0}^{n}(\binom{n}{j}\operatorname{mod} 2)a_2(j)$$ Since $a_2(n)$ is the number of open tours by a biased rook of the second kind which make its tours on a specific $f(n)\times 1$ board (**which ends on a white cell**) then for example for $1100$ we can replace $k$ ones by $k$ zeros (we have 4 options): - $1100$ -> $1100$ (no change; here 0 ones replaced by 0 zeros) - $1100$ -> $0100$ (here 1 one replaced by 1 zero) - $1100$ -> $1000$ (another variant) - $1100$ -> $0000$ (here 2 ones replaced by 2 zeros) Through this we add all possible ways to **finish on any cell**, which is what $a_1(n)$ counts. It remains only to add that operation above is the same as taking values of the $n$-th row of [A295989][6], which is also the same as taking $j$ such that $$\binom{n}{j}\operatorname{mod} 2=1$$ QED Are my proofs rigorous? What are they missing? Сan they be improved? [1]: https://mathoverflow.net/questions/402635/number-of-open-tours-by-a-biased-rook-on-a-specific-fn-times-1-board-which-e [2]: https://mathoverflow.net/questions/408632/sum-with-products-turned-into-subsequences [3]: https://mathoverflow.net/questions/408765/combinatorial-interpretation-of-inverse-modulo-2-binomial-transform-of-a284005 [4]: https://oeis.org/A284005 [5]: https://oeis.org/A329369 [6]: https://oeis.org/A295989