Symmetric-difference formula conjecture for the EMD numerator

For positive integers nn, let Nn(t)N_n(t) be the numerator polynomial in

Hn(t)=Nn(t)(1t)2n,H'_n(t)=\frac{N_n(t)}{(1-t)^{2n}},

and define

S(m)=(X,Y)2[m]×2[m]XY=m22m1,S(m)=\sum_{(X,Y)\in 2^{[m]}\times 2^{[m]}}|X\mathbin{\triangle}Y|=m\,2^{2m-1},

where 2[m]2^{[m]} is the power set of [m][m]. Symmetric-difference formula conjecture. For all positive integers nn, we have

Nn(1)=S(n1).N_n(1)=S(n-1).

The identity was subsequently proved in the cited Ding preprint, although the authors note that a bijective proof remains especially desirable.

Sources & referencesView supporting material

Primary source

Rebecca Bourn and William Q. Erickson, “Palindromicity of the numerator of a statistical generating function”, arXiv:2307.02652 (2025).

Additional references

2 papers in this index state this conjecture (2021–2023). The statement above is taken from the most recent of them; the others are arXiv:2103.15161.

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