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Formal Power Series
Student-Run Research Seminar| Speaker: | Gus Wiseman, UC Davis |
| Location: | 2112 MSB |
| Start time: | Wed, Oct 18 2006, 12:10PM |
Abstract: Exponential formal power series are useful in many situations involving enumeration of structures on finite sets. Two particularly elegant examples of this usage are Joyal's proof of Cayley's formula for counting trees, and Rota's functional, which elucidates some classical identities involving Bell numbers. In this introductory talk I will present these examples and discuss some theoretical aspects of the method.