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I am asked to prove the equality $$ 2(n-1)n^{n-2} = \sum_{k=1}^{n-1} \binom{n}{k} k(n-k)T(k)T(n-k) , $$ where $T(k)$ is the number of different trees with $k$ numbered vertices.

I think the following theorem (in my textbook) could help proving this fact:

Theorem: Let $T(n,p)$ be the number of graphs with numbered vertices $v_{1} , \dots , v_{n}$ consisting of $p$ disjunct trees such that $v_{i}$ belongs to the $i$'th tree, where $1 \leq i \leq p $. Then it is true that: $T(n,p) = p n^{n-p-1}$.

This theorem is proved by first showing that the following recursive formula holds:

$$ T(n,p) = \sum_{j=0}^{n-p} \binom{n-p}{j} T(n-1,p+j-1) .$$

Questions: Could this theorem and the recursive formula I mentioned help prove the equality? If so, how? If not, what would be a better way to prove the equality?

Max Muller
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1 Answers1

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We can prove this using the labelled tree function that is known from combinatorics.

Suppose we seek to verify that $$2(n-1) n^{n-2} = \sum_{k=1}^{n-1} {n\choose k} k(n-k) Q_k Q_{n-k}$$

where $Q_k$ is the number of unrooted labeled trees on $k$ nodes. This is the same as evaluating

$$\sum_{k=1}^{n-1} {n\choose k} T_k T_{n-k}$$

where $T_k$ is the number of rooted labeled trees on $k$ nodes. We have multiplied $Q_k$ by $k$, reflecting the $k$ choices for the root.

We will provide a closed form of the exponential generating function of the product of the two terms that are involved.

The combinatorial class of rooted labelled trees has the specification $$\def\textsc#1{\dosc#1\csod} \def\dosc#1#2\csod{{\rm #1{\small #2}}}\mathcal{T} = \mathcal{Z} \times \textsc{SET}(\mathcal{T})$$ which gives the functional equation $$T(z) = z \exp T(z).$$

Observe that when we multiply two exponential generating functions of the sequences $\{a_n\}$ and $\{b_n\}$ we get that

$$ A(z) B(z) = \sum_{n\ge 0} a_n \frac{z^n}{n!} \sum_{n\ge 0} b_n \frac{z^n}{n!} = \sum_{n\ge 0} \sum_{k=0}^n \frac{1}{k!}\frac{1}{(n-k)!} a_k b_{n-k} z^n\\ = \sum_{n\ge 0} \sum_{k=0}^n \frac{n!}{k!(n-k)!} a_k b_{n-k} \frac{z^n}{n!} = \sum_{n\ge 0} \left(\sum_{k=0}^n {n\choose k} a_k b_{n-k}\right)\frac{z^n}{n!}$$

i.e. the product of the two generating functions is the generating function of $$\sum_{k=0}^n {n\choose k} a_k b_{n-k}.$$

Now since $[z^0] T(z) = 0$ we may write for the convolution in question that it is $$\sum_{k=0}^{n} {n\choose k} T_k T_{n-k}.$$

Therefore we are dealing with the scenario $$A(z) = B(z) = T(z).$$

The equality that we seek to prove is the convolution of the two exponential generating functions $A(z)$ and $B(z)$ and to verify it we must show that $$n! [z^n] A(z) B(z) = 2 (n-1) n^{n-2}$$

We thus compute $$n! [z^n] A(z) B(z) = n! \frac{1}{2\pi i} \int_{|z|=\epsilon} \frac{1}{z^{n+1}} T(z)^2 dz.$$

Put $T(z) = w$ to get $z=w\exp(-w)$ and $dz = (\exp(-w)-w\exp(-w)) \; dw$ to obtain

$$n! \frac{1}{2\pi i} \int_{|w|=\epsilon} \frac{\exp(w(n+1))}{w^{n+1}} \times w^2\times (\exp(-w) - w\exp(-w)) \; dw \\ = n! \frac{1}{2\pi i} \int_{|w|=\epsilon} \frac{\exp(wn)}{w^{n-1}} (1-w) \; dw \\ = n! \left(\frac{n^{n-2}}{(n-2)!} - \frac{n^{n-3}}{(n-3)!}\right).$$

This is $$n^{n-2} (n(n-1)-(n-1)(n-2)) = n^{n-2} (n^2-n-n^2+3n-2) \\ = n^{n-2} \times (2n-2)$$

as claimed.

The labelled tree function recently appeared at this MSE link.

Marko Riedel
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