Dedekind Number
In mathematics, the Dedekind numbers are a rapidly growing sequence of integers named after Richard Dedekind, who defined them in 1897. The Dedekind number M(n) counts the number of monotonic Boolean functions of n variables. Equivalently, it counts the number of antichains of subsets of an n-element set, the number of elements in a free distributive lattice with n generators, or the number of abstract simplicial complexes with n elements.
Accurate asymptotic estimates of M(n) and an exact expression as a summation, are known. However Dedekind's problem of computing the values of M(n) remains difficult: no closed-form expression for M(n) is known, and exact values of M(n) have been found only for n ≤ 8.
Read more about Dedekind Number: Definitions, Example, Values, Summation Formula, Asymptotics
Famous quotes containing the word number:
“In a number of other cultures, fathers are not relegated to babysitter status, nor is their ability to be primary nurturers so readily dismissed.... We have evidence that in our own society men can rear and nurture their children competently and that mens methods, although different from those of women, are imaginative and constructive.”
—Kyle D. Pruett (20th century)