Combinatorics – Sum of Cubes of Binomial Coefficients

asymptoticsbinomial-coefficientscombinatorics

I reduced a homework problem in combinatorics to giving an asymptotic estimate for
$\sum_{k=0}^n{n \choose k}^3$.

I assume Stirling's approximation can help, but I'm not experienced with making estimates and need some help.

Best Answer

As a complement to Ragib Zaman fine answer (and Henry's useful comment see for example Farmer and Leth's 'An asymptotic formula for powers of binomial coefficients' which contains, about a closed form for your sum, "..it has only recently been shown that no such formula can exist") let's add a more precise asymptotic expansion (this is conjectured only...) :

$$\frac{\sum_{k=0}^n \binom{n}{k}^3}{\frac{2^{3n+1} }{\sqrt{3} \pi n}}=1 -\frac 1{3n}+\frac 1{3^3n^2}+\frac 1{3^4n^3}+\frac 1{3^5n^4}+\frac {11}{3^7 n^5}+\frac {49}{3^9 n^6}-\frac {317}{3^9 n^7}-\frac{2797}{3^{10} n^8}-\frac{61741}{3^{13} n^9}+\operatorname{O}\left(\frac 1{n^{10}}\right)$$

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