Irish Math. Soc.
Bulletin
Number 91, Summer 2023, 81–82
ISSN 0791-5578
Michael Z. Spivey: The Art of Proving Binomial Identities, CRC Press,
2019.
ISBN:978-0-8153-7942-3, USD 88.00, 368+xiv pp.
REVIEWED BY HENRY RICARDO
Probably all readers of this journal have encountered binomial coefficients many times
in their teaching and/or research. Even Gilbert and Sullivan’s Modern Major General
declared “About binomial theorem I’m teeming with a lot o’ news.”As someone who is
not a combinatorialist (or a military officer) but who haunts the problem sections of
various mathematical journals, I have encountered many challenging problems involving
binomial coefficients. Often my instinct is to check Gould’s impressive compendium [1]
of over 500 binomial coefficient identities—but, unfortunately, there are no proofs.
In ten chapters, Michael Spivey succeeds in bringing together in a systematic way
the many methods used in dealing with binomial coefficients. The techniques covered
in this book consist of algebra (including finite difference methods and complex num-
bers), calculus, linear algebra, and combinatorics/probability. Anyone absorbing the
techniques in Spivey’s book should be prepared to understand Gould’s collection and
tackle deeper works such as Riordan’s classic monograph [2]. This is not an encyclo-
pedia, although the convenient Index of Identities and Theorems makes it easy to find
alternative proofs or other uses of particular identities. Because of the way Spivey’s
book ties together several key courses in the undergraduate mathematics curriculum,
a university maths department could base a senior seminar or capstone course/project
on this book.
The author starts by proving the equivalence of four definitions of the binomial
coefficient for integers n and k with n ≥ k ≥ 0:
(1) The number ofn−1
subsets of size k formed from a set of n elements;
n n−1
(2) k = k + k−1 when n−1 ≥ k ≥ 1 with boundary conditions n0 = n
n = 1;
(3) the coefficient of xk in the expansion of (x + 1)n in powers of x;
(4) nk = k!(n−k)!
n!
.
Later, Spivey generalises to n ∈ R and k ∈ Z.
Two of my favourite topics are given good introductory treatments: the central
binomial coefficient (CBC) and reciprocal binomial coefficients (RBCs). One worked-
out example yields this gem:
∞ √
X 1 4 2π 3
2n = 3 + 27 .
n
n=0
The CBC is developed further in other sections of the book, including discussions of
Catalan numbers and lattice paths. A number of other sums (finite and infinite) of
RBCs are discussed and are listed in the very useful Index to Identities and Theorems,
but the term reciprocal binomial coefficient is missing from the main index.
Received on 24-04-2023; revised 02-05-2023.
DOI:10.33232/BIMS.0091.81.82.
©2023 Irish Mathematical Society
81
82 HENRY RICARDO
Some of the over 300 numbered identities appear as examples, while others are used
as exercises. Throughout the book there are historical inserts, presenting snippets of
information about various mathematicians: Eric Temple Bell, the Bernoulli family,
. . . , Newton, Pascal, Stirling, . . . , Vandermonde, Zeilberger. There are also end-of-
chapter notes that provide context for the chapter’s results and/or recommendations for
further reading. Appendices include an 82-item Bibliography and Hints and Solutions
to Exercises—the latter particularly useful for self-study.
In the final chapter (“Mechanical Summation”), art gives way to science. Here the
author explains the powerful Gosper-Zeilberger algorithm, both Gosper’s original form
and Zeilberger’s extension. Hypergeometric series are introduced early. The treatment
contains “very heavy algebra”, in the author’s words, but is a tour de force of exposition.
In summary, this is a delightful and useful book: A readable introduction to bi-
nomial coefficients and many of their applications for the advanced undergraduate or
graduate student, an aid to those mathematically mature individuals who are not com-
binatorialists, an inspiration for those who attempt to solve problems involving binomial
coefficients.
References
[1] H. W. Gould: Combinatorial Identities (Revised Edition), Morgantown Printing, Morgantown, West
Virginia, 1972.
[2] J. Riordan: Combinatorial Identities, Robert E. Krieger Publishing Company, New York, 1979.
Henry Ricardo received his Ph.D. from Yeshiva University in New York. Since retiring
from The City University of New York as Professor of Mathematics, he has been a volunteer
with the Westchester Area Math Circle (Purchase, NY). He is an avid problemist and regularly
attempts problems in more than a dozen journals worldwide.
The City University of New York and the Westchester Area Math Circle
E-mail address: [email protected]
