On the number of tilings of a square by rectangles

DOI10.1007/S00026-013-0209-2zbMATH Open1297.05014arXiv1204.5734OpenAlexW2106000888MaRDI QIDQ404384FDOQ404384

Authors: Tim Michaels, James Conant 

Publication date: 4 September 2014

Published in: Annals of Combinatorics (Search for Journal in Brave)

Abstract: We develop a recursive formula for counting the number of rectangulations of a square, i.e the number of combinatorially distinct tilings of a square by rectangles. Our formula specializes to give a formula counting generic rectangulations, as analyzed by Reading in [5]. Our computations agree with [5] as far as was calculated and extend to the non-generic case. An interesting feature of the number of rectangulations is that it appears to have an 8-fold periodicity modulo 2. We verify this periodicity for small values of n, but the general result remains elusive, perhaps hinting at some unseen structure on the space of rectangulations, analogous to Reading's discovery that generic rectangulations are in 1-1 correspondence with a certain class of permutations. Finally, we use discrete Morse theory to show that the space of tilings by less than or equal to n rectangles is homotopy-equivalent to a wedge of some number of (n-1)-dimensional spheres. Combined with formulae for the number of tilings, the exact homotopy type is computed for $nleq28$.

Full work available at URL: https://arxiv.org/abs/1204.5734

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zbMATH Keywords

rectangular tilingsrectangulations

Mathematics Subject Classification ID

Exact enumeration problems, generating functions (05A15) Combinatorial aspects of tessellation and tiling problems (05B45) Tilings in (2) dimensions (aspects of discrete geometry) (52C20) Classification of homotopy type (55P15)

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Cited In (11)

• A note on perfect tilings of rectangles with rectangles
• On the enumeration of plane bipolar posets and transversal structures
• Generic rectangulations
• Title not available (Why is that?)
• Title not available (Why is that?)
• Title not available (Why is that?)
• Title not available (Why is that?)
• Fourteen Proofs of a Result About Tiling a Rectangle
• Combinatorial generation via permutation languages. III: Rectangulations
• Title not available (Why is that?)
• Enumeration and Asymptotic Formulas for Rectangular Partitions of the Hypercube

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