Factors of central binomial coefficient

binomial-coefficientscatalan-numbersdivisibility

The central binomial coefficient $\binom{2n}{n}$ is divisible by $n+1$, as seen from the
identity
$$\binom{2n}{n} = (n+1)\binom{2n}{n} -(n+1)\binom{2n}{n+1}.$$
In fact the Catalan numbers
$$C_n=\frac{1}{n+1}\binom{2n}{n}$$
have a very large (over 200 according to R. Stanley's book) combinatorial interpretations. The identity
$$ \binom{2n}{n} =2(2n-1)C_{n-1}$$
shows that $\binom{2n}{n}$ is also divisible by $2n-1$. So it is natural to ask when
$\binom{2n}{n}$ is divisible by the product $(n+1)(2n-1)$. If $n\equiv 0$ or $1$ $\pmod{3}$, then $\gcd(n+1,2n-1)=1$, and so $(n+1)(2n-1)$ will be a factor of $\binom{2n}{n}$ in this case. But if $n\equiv 2 \pmod{3}$, then $\gcd(n+1,2n-1)=3$ so $(n+1)(2n-1)$ will always be a factor of $3\binom{2n}{n}$, but it may or may not be a factor of $\binom{2n}{n}$. According to (limited) computer calculations it seems that it is more likely that it is a factor. So I would be interested in understanding the set
$$\left\{n: (n+1)(2n-1) \mbox{ is not a factor of } \binom{2n}{n}\right\}.$$
According to computer calculations the first few elements of the set are
$$2,5,8,11,14,26,29,32,35,38,41,80,83,86,89,92,95,107,110,113,116,119,122,242,245,248,251,254,257,269,272,275,278,281,284.$$
So looking at the first 300 integers, about 35% of those that are congruent to $2\pmod{3}$ will be such that $(n+1)(2n-1)$ is not a factor of $\binom{2n}{n}$.

Best Answer

Look at the sequence in base 3: $$ 2,12,22,102,112,222,1002,1012,1022,1102,1112,2222,10002,10012,10022,10102,10112,10222,11002,11012,11022,11102,11112,22222,100002,100012,100022,100102,100112,100222,101002,101012,101022,101102,101112 $$ Since they all have last digit $2$, let's trim that off and see if we can find a pattern:$$ 0,1,2,10,11,22,100,101,102,110,111,222,1000,1001,1002,1010,1011,1022,1100,1101,1102,1110,1111,2222,10000,10001,10002,10010,10011,10022,10100,10101,10102,10110,10111 $$ Every number with no $2$'s is here. The pattern to the $2$'s might not be obvious, but observe that any of the numbers above with a $2$ ends with a string looking like $022\dots2$ and has no other $2$'s. Equivalently, we can say that all of the above numbers either have no $2$ or else are $1$ less than a number with no $2$. Thus, we claim the following pattern (which we will prove later).

Claim: Suppose $n=2 \mod 3$. Then $(n+1)(2n-1)$ does not divide $\binom{2n}n$ if and only if at least one of $n+1$ and $n-1$ has no $2$ in its ternary (base 3) expansion.

Let $n=d_kd_{k-1}\dots d_2d_1d_0$ be the ternary expansion of $n$. We assume $d_0=2$. The claim is equivalent to saying that $(n+1)(2n-1)\nmid\binom{2n}n$ if and only if either $d_i\ne 2$ for $i\ge 1$ (in which case $n-1$ has no $2$ in ternary) or if for some $i$, the final $i$ digits of $n$ are $0222\dots2$ and none of the previous digits of $n$ are $2$ (in which case $n+1$ has no $2$ in it).

As far as density is concerned, these numbers have density $0$, since the set of numbers with no $2$ in their ternary expansion has density $0$ (c.f. the Kempner series). If $S$ is this set, then we claim the set of numbers such that $(n+1)(2n-1)\nmid\binom{2n}{n}$ is exactly $$ \left((S+1)\cup(S-1)\right) \cap (3\mathbb{N}+2) $$ Since $S$ has density $0$, so does $(S+1)\cup(S-1)$.


Proof of claim:

Let $$ K_n = \frac{3}{(2n-1)(n+1)}\binom{2n}{n} $$ which is an integer sequence, hence $(2n-1)(n+1)\nmid\binom{2n}{n}$ is equivalent to $3\nmid K_n$. We let $m=\frac{n-2}{3}$. Then, in base $3$, $$ m = d_kd_{k-1}\dots d_2d_1 $$ Then, define $$ \ell_m = \max\left\{\ell\in\mathbb{N} \text{ such that } 3^\ell \mid K_{3m+2}\right\} $$ so it suffices to find when $\ell_m=0$. We observe \begin{eqnarray} K_{n} &=& \frac{3}{(2n-1)(n+1)}\binom{2n}{n}=\frac{24(2n-5)(2n-3)(2n-1)}{(2n-1)(n+1)(n-2)(n-1)n}\binom{2(n-3)}{n-3} \\&=&\frac{8(2n-5)(2n-3)(2n-1)(2(n-3)-1)(n-2)}{(2n-1)(n+1)(n-2)(n-1)n} K_{n-3}\\ &=&8\frac{(2n-7)(2n-5)(2n-3)}{(n-1)n(n+1)} K_{n-3} \end{eqnarray} Thus we have \begin{eqnarray} K_{3m+2} &=& 8\frac{(6m-3)(6m-1)(6m+1)}{(3m+1)(3m+2)(3m+3)} \cdot K_{3(m-1)+2}\\&=&\frac{2m-1}{m+1}\cdot K_{3(m-1) +2}\cdot (\text{rational number with no power of 3 in it}) \end{eqnarray} Thus $\ell_m = \ell_{m-1}$ unless the fraction $\frac{2m-1}{m+1}$ has a power of $3$ in the numerator or denominator, which happens exactly when one of $2m-1$ or $m+1$ is a multiple of $9$. Both numerator and denominator are divisible by 3 exactly when $m$ is $2$ mod $3$. If $m$ is $2$ mod $9$, then both $2m-1$ and $m+1$ have exactly one factor $3$. If $m$ is $5$ or $8$ mod $9$, the fraction will have extra factors of $3$ in either the numerator or denominator, but not both (they cannot both be multiples of $9$. Thus we get the following recurrence for $\ell_m$:$$ \ell_m=\begin{cases}0,&m=0\\\ell_{m-1} + \max\{u : 3^{u+1} \mid (2m-1)\}, & m\equiv5\mod 9\\ \ell_{m-1} - \max\{ u:3^{u+1}\mid (m+1)\},&m\equiv 8\mod 9\\ \ell_{m-1},&\text{otherwise}\end{cases} $$ Thus, we can see that as we move through different classes mode $3^{u+1}$, we add $u$ at $\frac{3^{u+1}-1}2$ and subtract $u$ at $3^{u+1}-1$. Thus, we have that $\ell_m$ is a sum of some subset of $\{0,...,u\}$ where $3^{u+1}\le2m-1$. Each element of the set is included in the sum if and only if $m\hspace{2pt}(\text{mod } 3^{u+1})$ is in $\left[\frac{3^{u+1}-1}2,3^{u+1}-2\right]$. In base $3$, this means that the final $u+1$ digits of $m$ are between $$ \underbrace{11\dots112}_{u+1\text{ digits}} \text{ and } \underbrace{22\dots221}_{u+1 \text{ digits}} $$ which is equivalent to at least one of and not all of $d_i$ being $2$ for $i\le u+2$, and the leftmost such digit being preceded by a string of all $1$'s (perhaps of length $0$). Equivalently, we could say that $u$ is absent from the sum if and only if either the final $u+1$ digits of $m$ are all $2$, or, among the last $u+1$ digits there is $0$ somewhere to the left of the first $2$. Thus $\ell_m=0$ if and only if either $m$ has no $2$ in its ternary expansion, or if the leftmost $2$ of $m$'s ternary expansion is preceded by a $0$ and all subsequent digits are $2$. Therefore, if $n=3m+2$, we have this property if and only if (in ternary) either $n-1$ or $n+1$ has no $2$.