Identities for the harmonic numbers and binomial coefficients (Q539133): Difference between revisions

Leonhard Euler considered sums of the form \[ \sigma_h (s,t):= \sum_{n=1}^\infty \Biggl(1+ {1\over {2^s}}+ \dots+ {1\over {(n-1)^s}} \Biggr) n^{-t}, \] where \(s\) and \(t\) are positive integers. By a process of extrapolation from \(s+t\leq 13\), Euler discovered that \(\sigma_h (s,t)\) can be evaluated in terms of Riemann \(\zeta\)- functions when \(s+t\) is odd. Both authors have separately explored elsewhere topics related to \textit{Euler sums} like \textit{harmonic numbers}, \textit{binomial coefficients} and the \textit{Riemann zeta function}, e.g., the first author in [Computational techniques for the summation of series. New York, NY: Kluwer Academic/Plenum Publishers (2003; Zbl 1059.65002)], in [Appl. Math. Comput. 207, No. 2, 365--372 (2009; Zbl 1175.11007)] and in [Integral Transforms Spec. Funct. 20, No. 11--12, 847--857 (2009; Zbl 1242.11014)] while the second author in [\textit{H. Alzer, D. Karayannakis} and \textit{H.~M. Srivastava}, J. Math. Anal. Appl. 320, No. 1, 145--162 (2006; Zbl 1093.33010)], in [\textit{J. Choi} and \textit{H.~M. Srivastava}, Ramanujan J. 10, No. 1, 51--70 (2005; Zbl 1115.11052)], in [\textit{J. Choi} and \textit{H.~M. Srivastava}, Math. Nachr. 282, No. 12, 1709--1723 (2009; Zbl 1214.33002)], in [\textit{A. Petojević} and \textit{H.~M. Srivastava}, Appl. Math. Lett. 22, No. 5, 796--801 (2009; Zbl 1228.11025)], in [\textit{T.~M. Rassias} and \textit{H.~M. Srivastava}, Appl. Math. Comput. 131, No. 2--3, 593--605 (2002; Zbl 1070.11038)] and in [\textit{H.~M. Srivastava} and \textit{J. Choi}, Series associated with the zeta and related functions. Dordrecht: Kluwer Academic Publishers (2001; Zbl 1014.33001)]. In order to introduce their joint work the authors recall some interesting papers dealing with \textit{Euler sums}, e.g., by \textit{A. Basu} [Ramanujan J. 16, No. 1, 7--24 (2008; Zbl 1155.40002)], by \textit{A. Basu} and \textit{T.~M. Apostol} [Ramanujan J. 4, No. 4, 397--419 (2000; Zbl 0971.40001)] and by \textit{P. Flajolet} and \textit{B. Salvy} [Exp. Math. 7, No. 1, 15--35 (1998; Zbl 0920.11061)]. The authors also mention recent works where the \textit{Beta function} and other techniques are used to investigate Euler related sums, e.g., by \textit{X. Chen} and \textit{W. Chu} [Discrete Math. 310, No. 1, 83--91 (2010; Zbl 1250.33007)], by \textit{W. Chu} and \textit{A. M. Fu} [Ramanujan J. 18, No. 1, 11--31 (2009; Zbl 1175.05009)] and by \textit{C. Krattenthaler} and \textit{K. Srinivasa Rao} [J. Comput. Appl. Math. 160, No. 1--2, 159--173 (2003; Zbl 1038.33003)]. Hence the present paper extends various earlier works and it is perfectly complementary to a contemporary article by the first author [Adv. Appl. Math. 42, No. 1, 123--134 (2009; Zbl 1220.11025)] where he applies the method of integral representation for binomial sums and he extends the range of identities of finite sums with harmonic numbers \(H_n=\sum^{n}_{k=1}1/k\). Here the integral and closed-form representations of sums with products of harmonic numbers and binomial coefficients are developed in terms of \textit{polygamma function} whose evaluation at rational arguments is given through formulae supplied by \textit{K.~S. Kölbig} [J. Comput. Appl. Math. 75, No. 1, 43--46 (1996; Zbl 0860.33002)] and by \textit{J. Choi} and \textit{D. Cvijović} [J. Phys. A, Math. Theor. 40, No. 50, 15019--15028 (2007; Zbl 1127.33002)] in terms of polylogarithmic and other special functions. In particular the authors establish several new representations involving Euler related results proved by \textit{D. Borwein, J.~M. Borwein} and \textit{R. Girgensohn} [Proc. Edinb. Math. Soc., II. Ser. 38, No. 2, 277--294 (1995; Zbl 0819.40003)] and by \textit{B. Cloitre} [\url{http://mathworld.wolfram.com/\-HarmonicNumber.html}]. Beyond the support of the computer algebra package \texttt{Mathematica}, in the proof the authors employ the \textit{Catalan constant}, the \textit{Euler-Mascheroni constant}, the \textit{Bernoulli polynomials}, the \textit{Digamma function} and the \textit{Clausen function}.