CS201 : Discrete Mathematics

Semester II, 2010-11, CSE, IIT Kanpur

Assignment - 2 (due on 11 February)

Note : Give complete details of the analysis of your solution. Be very rigorous in providing any
mathematical detail in support of your arguments. Also mention any Lemma/Theorem you use.
No marks will be awarded for a counting problem if you just write the final numeric answer without
any suitable arguments and analysis.

1. Solve the recurrence

g0 = 1;
gn = gn1 + 2gn2 + ... + ng0 , f or n > 0.

using generating functions.

2. Solve the following recurrence

g0 = 0, g1 = 1
X
gn = 2ngn1 + gk gnk for n > 1
k

by using exponential generating function.

3. How many spanning trees are in an n-wheel (a graph with n outer vertices in a cycle, each
connected to an (n + 1)st hub vertex), when n 3?

4. What is the sum of the Fibonacci products

X X
Fk1 Fk2 ...Fkm
m>0 k1 + k2 + ... + km = n
k1 , k2 , ...km > 0

where Fj denotes jth Fibonacci number.

1
5. In how many ways can we construct a 2 2 n pillar using 2 2 1 bricks ?

6. For n N, consider the arrangements of pennies built on a contiguous rwo of n pennies.

Each penny that is not in the bottom row (of n pennies) rests upon the two pennies below
it, and there is no concern about whether heads or tails appears. The situation for n = 3 is
shown in Figure below. How many such arrangements are there for a contiguous row of n
pennies, n N ?