Umbral calculus, binomial enumeration and chromatic polynomials

Ray, Nigel

doi:10.1090/S0002-9947-1988-0957067-0

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ISSN 1088-6850(online) ISSN 0002-9947(print)

Umbral calculus, binomial enumeration and chromatic polynomials

Author: Nigel Ray
Journal: Trans. Amer. Math. Soc. 309 (1988), 191-213
MSC: Primary 05A40; Secondary 05C15
MathSciNet review: 957067
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Abstract: We develop the concept of partition categories, in order to extend the Mullin-Rota theory of binomial enumeration, and simultaneously to provide a natural setting for recent applications of the Roman-Rota umbral calculus to computations in algebraic topology. As a further application, we describe a generalisation of the chromatic polynomial of a graph.

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