Prime power divisors of multinomial and \(q\)-multinomial coefficients (Q5942979): Difference between revisions

This paper adapts the results from \textit{P. Erdős} and \textit{G. Kolesnik} [Discrete Math. 200, 101-117 (1999; Zbl 0952.11002)] to multinomial and \(q\)-binomial coefficients. In this latter case, the analogue of Kummer's lemma requires the introduction of the multiplicative order of \(q\) modulo the prime divisor under consideration (as already noted by \textit{J. W. Sander} [J. Number Theory 46, 372-384 (1994; Zbl 0804.11017)]). The results presented on the multinomial coefficients are wide ranging as well as very precise, which makes this paper essentially definitive on the subject. Regarding \(q\)-multinomial coefficients, the author dispenses with Artin's conjectures but his result is still conditional. To remove this condition, one is led to the following question: is the order of \(q\) in the multiplicative group of residues modulo \(p\) larger than \(p^{1-o(1)}\) for a positive proportion of primes in \([P,2P]\)?