Algebraic combinatorics

relations between power sums and elementary symmetric functions

application of abstract algebra to combinatorics problems

associative algebra used in combinatorics, a branch of mathematics

mathematical structure

endofunctor on the category of finite sets and bijections, which can be used to analyse discrete structures in terms of generating functions

abstract ring with finite number of elements

family of orthogonal symmetric polynomials in several variables introduced by Macdonald

In mathematics, a quasi-polynomial (sometimes called pseudo-polynomial) is a generalization of polynomials. While the coefficients of a polynomial come from a ring, the coefficients of quasi-polynomials are instead periodic functions with integral period. Quasi-polynomials appear throughout much of combinatorics as the enumerators for various objects.