On the nonintegrality of certain generalized binomial sums

Publication date 3 March 2022

Factorials, binomial coefficients, combinatorial functions (05A10) Binomial coefficients; factorials; (q)-identities (11B65) Other analytic theory (analogues of beta and gamma functions, (p)-adic integration, etc.) (11S80)

Abstract: We consider certain generalized binomial sums

m a t h c a l S_{(r, n)} (e l l)

and discuss the non-integrality of their values for integral parameters

n, r g e q 1

and

e l l i n m a t h b b Z

in several cases using

p

-adic methods. In particular, we show some properties of the denominator of

m a t h c a l S_{(r, n)} (e l l)

. Viewed as polynomials, the sequence

(m a t h c a l S_{(r, n)} (x))_{n g e q 0}

forms an Appell sequence. The special case

m a t h c a l S_{(r, n)} (2)

reduces to the sum [ sum_{k=0}^{n} �inom{n}{k} frac{r}{r+k}, ] which has received some attention in recent times from several authors regarding the conjectured non-integrality of its values. Only specific cases have been proved yet. The generalized results imply, among other things, for even

| e l l | g e q 2

that

m a t h c a l S_{(r, n)} (e l l) o t i n m a t h b b Z

when

is even, e.g.,

r

and

n

are odd. Although there exist exceptions where

m a t h c a l S_{(r, n)} (e l l) i n m a t h b b Z

, "almost all" values of

m a t h c a l S_{(r, n)} (e l l)

for

n, r g e q 1

are non-integral for any fixed

| e l l | g e q 2

. Subsequently, we also derive explicit inequalities between the parameters for which

m a t h c a l S_{(r, n)} (e l l) o t i n m a t h b b Z

. Especially, this is shown for certain small values of

e l l

for

r g e q n

and

n > r g e q f r a c 15 n

. As a supplement, we finally discuss exceptional cases where

m a t h c a l S_{(r, n)} (e l l) i n m a t h b b Z

.

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