Discrete Mathematics and Combinatorics Commons^™

On The Density Of The Odd Values Of The Partition Function, Samuel Judge

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

The purpose of this dissertation is to introduce a new approach to the study of one of the most basic and seemingly intractable problems in partition theory, namely the conjecture that the partition function $p(n)$ is equidistributed modulo $2$. We provide a doubly-indexed, infinite family of conjectural identities in the ring of series $\Z_2[[q]]$, which relate $p(n)$ with suitable $t$-multipartition functions, and show how to, in principle, prove each such identity. We will exhibit explicit proofs for $32$ of our identities. However, the conjecture remains open in full generality. A striking consequence of these conjectural identities is that, under suitable …