Bell numbers

E586577

Bell numbers are a sequence in combinatorics that count the number of ways to partition a finite set into nonempty, unlabeled subsets.

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Statements (50)

Predicate Object
instanceOf combinatorial sequence
integer sequence
alternativeNotation Bell(n)
application counting possible clusterings of data points
counting possible set partitions in combinatorial optimization
enumeration in partition-based probability models
asymptoticGrowth B_n \sim \frac{1}{\sqrt{n}} \left(\frac{n}{W(n)}\right)^{n+1/2} e^{\frac{n}{W(n)}-n-1}
B0 1
B1 1
B10 115975
B2 2
B3 5
B4 15
B5 52
B6 203
B7 877
B8 4140
B9 21147
combinatorialInterpretation number of equivalence relations on an n-element set
number of ways to partition an n-element set into any number of nonempty blocks
definition number of set partitions of an n-element set into nonempty unlabeled subsets
DobinskiFormula B_n = \frac{1}{e} \sum_{k=0}^{\infty} \frac{k^n}{k!}
eighthTerm 877
exponentialGeneratingFunction \sum_{n=0}^{\infty} B_n \frac{x^n}{n!} = e^{e^x - 1}
field combinatorics
fifthTerm 15
firstTerm 1
fourthTerm 5
growthType superexponential
matrixRepresentation can be computed via the Bell triangle (Aitken array)
namedAfter Eric Temple Bell NERFINISHED
ninthTerm 4140
OEISID A000110
parityProperty B_n is odd iff n has no 2s in its binary expansion
property B_n is integer for all nonnegative integers n
B_n is strictly increasing for n \ge 1
recurrenceRelation B_n = \sum_{k=0}^{n} S(n,k)
B_{n+1} = \sum_{k=0}^{n} \binom{n}{k} B_k
B_{n} = \sum_{k=1}^{n} \binom{n-1}{k-1} B_{n-k}
relatedTo Bell polynomials
Stirling numbers of the second kind
Touchard polynomials NERFINISHED
equivalence relations
set partitions
secondTerm 1
seventhTerm 203
sixthTerm 52
symbol B_n
tenthTerm 21147
thirdTerm 2

Referenced by (2)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

The Twelvefold Way relatesTo Bell numbers