[Math] Simplifying combinations with sigma notation

combinatorics

I'm currently working on a recurrence relation question and have it simplified as so
$$\sum_{n \geq 0} \binom{n+2}{2}z^{n+1}$$

I'm having difficulty simplifying it further to come up with a solution for the recurrence relation. I've taken a look at the working out for the textbook but I'd like some assistance in understanding what is happening at each step of the simplification which is shown below.

Here I'm struggling to understand why we can subtract 1 from the power when sigma now starts at 1. Have we divided by $z$ somewhere to get it resulting in $z^n$?
$$\sum_{n \geq1} \binom{n+2}{2}z^{n}$$

Here is the part where I get confused the most as I'm unsure how the combination was simplified.
$$\sum_{n \geq1} \frac{1}{2}n(n+1)z^n$$

Best Answer

Let $k=n+1$, so that $n=k-1$, and substitute into $$\sum_{n\ge 0}\binom{n+2}2z^{n+1}$$ to get $$\sum_{k-1\ge 0}\binom{(k-1)+2}2z^k=\sum_{k\ge 1}\binom{k+1}2z^k\;;$$ then simply rename $k$ back to $n$ to get

$$\sum_{n\ge 1}\binom{n+1}2z^n\;.$$

(Note that it’s now $n+1$ in the binomial coefficient, not $n+2$.) Finally,

$$\binom{n+1}2=\frac{(n+1)!}{2!\big((n+1)-2\big)!}=\frac{(n+1)!}{2(n-1)!}=\frac{n(n+1)}2\;.$$