# Eulerian number

An **Eulerian number** ⟨n choose k⟩ is the number of permutations of the set {1, 2, …, n} that have exactly k descents, where a descent is a pair of adjacent positions in which the first element is larger than the second.<sup>[1](https://dlmf.nist.gov/26.14)</sup> The Eulerian numbers form a triangular array that refines the count n! of all permutations by their number of descents, and they appear throughout combinatorics, geometry, and analysis.<sup>[1](https://dlmf.nist.gov/26.14)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[2](https://www.symmetricfunctions.com/eulerian.htm)</sup>

| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Definition | ⟨n choose k⟩ counts permutations in 𝔖_n with exactly k descents<sup>[1](https://dlmf.nist.gov/26.14)</sup> |
| Equivalent counts | Also the number of permutations with exactly k excedances, or exactly k + 1 weak excedances<sup>[1](https://dlmf.nist.gov/26.14)</sup> |
| Row n = 5 | 1, 26, 66, 26, 1<sup>[1](https://dlmf.nist.gov/26.14)</sup> |
| Recurrence | ⟨n choose k⟩ = (k+1)⟨n−1 choose k⟩ + (n−k)⟨n−1 choose k−1⟩ for n ≥ 2<sup>[1](https://dlmf.nist.gov/26.14)</sup> |
| Row sum | Σ_k ⟨n choose k⟩ = n! for n ≥ 1<sup>[1](https://dlmf.nist.gov/26.14)</sup> |
| Explicit formula | ⟨n choose k⟩ = Σ_{j=0}^{k} (−1)^j C(n+1, j)(k+1−j)^n for n ≥ 1<sup>[1](https://dlmf.nist.gov/26.14)</sup> |
| Polynomial | The Eulerian polynomial A_n(t) = Σ_{σ∈𝔖_n} t^{des(σ)} collects the row as its coefficients<sup>[2](https://www.symmetricfunctions.com/eulerian.htm)</sup> |

## Descents and equivalent statistics

A descent of a permutation σ is a position j with σ(j) > σ(j+1). For example, the permutation 35247816 has two descents, at the adjacent pairs 52 and 81.<sup>[1](https://dlmf.nist.gov/26.14)</sup> The Eulerian number ⟨n choose k⟩ is by definition the count of permutations in 𝔖_n with exactly k such positions.<sup>[1](https://dlmf.nist.gov/26.14)</sup>

The same numbers count permutations by a different statistic. An excedance of σ is a position j for which σ(j) > j, and a weak excedance is a position with σ(j) ≥ j. The Eulerian number ⟨n choose k⟩ equals the number of permutations with exactly k excedances, and also the number with exactly k + 1 weak excedances.<sup>[1](https://dlmf.nist.gov/26.14)</sup> This descent–excedance equidistribution is a structural fact about permutations rather than a coincidence of counts, and it extends to refined settings: a 2011 proof by Nan Li of a conjecture of R. Stanley interprets the Ehrhart h*-coefficients of the [hypersimplex](https://www.edgepedia.org/hypersimplex) in terms of descents and excedances, with the normalized volume of the polytope equal to an Eulerian number.<sup>[3](https://arxiv.org/abs/1104.5292)</sup>

A related statistic is the major index, the sum of all positions that begin a descent; for 35247816 it equals 2 + 6 = 8. The major index is also called the greater index, and it serves as the standard q-analog weight on permutations.<sup>[1](https://dlmf.nist.gov/26.14)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[4](https://www.combinatorics.org/ojs/index.php/eljc/article/download/v31i1p36/pdf/)</sup>

## The triangle and its recurrences

The Eulerian numbers form a Pascal-like triangle with rows indexed by n and entries by k = 0, …, n−1:<sup>[1](https://dlmf.nist.gov/26.14)</sup>

| n \ k | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | | | | | |
| 2 | 1 | 1 | | | | |
| 3 | 1 | 4 | 1 | | | |
| 4 | 1 | 11 | 11 | 1 | | |
| 5 | 1 | 26 | 66 | 26 | 1 | |
| 6 | 1 | 57 | 302 | 302 | 57 | 1 |

The entries satisfy the recurrence

\[ \left\langle {n \atop k} \right\rangle = (k+1)\left\langle {n-1 \atop k} \right\rangle + (n-k)\left\langle {n-1 \atop k-1} \right\rangle, \qquad n \ge 2, \]

which mirrors the way inserting the element n into a permutation of n−1 letters changes the descent count.<sup>[1](https://dlmf.nist.gov/26.14)</sup> The triangle is symmetric, ⟨n choose k⟩ = ⟨n choose n−1−k⟩ for n ≥ 1, reflecting the reversal symmetry of descents.<sup>[1](https://dlmf.nist.gov/26.14)</sup> Each row sums to n!, since every permutation has some number of descents between 0 and n−1.<sup>[1](https://dlmf.nist.gov/26.14)</sup>

## Generating functions and explicit formulas

The exponential generating function for the two-variable array is<sup>[1](https://dlmf.nist.gov/26.14)</sup>

\[ \sum_{n,k=0}^{\infty} \left\langle {n \atop k} \right\rangle x^k \frac{t^n}{n!} = \frac{1-x}{\exp((x-1)t)-x}, \qquad |x|<1,\ |t|<1. \]

Setting x = t in this function gives the Eulerian polynomial A_n(t), whose coefficients are the Eulerian numbers of row n; the polynomials obey the differential recurrence A_{n+1}(t) = (1+nt)A_n(t) + t(1−t)A'_n(t) with A_0(t) = 1.<sup>[2](https://www.symmetricfunctions.com/eulerian.htm)</sup> [Leonhard Euler](https://www.edgepedia.org/leonhard-euler) introduced these polynomials in an attempt to evaluate the [Dirichlet eta function](https://www.edgepedia.org/dirichlet-eta-function).<sup>[5](https://www.luschny.de/math/euler/EulerianPolynomials.html)</sup>

A closed formula, due to inclusion–exclusion over descent positions, is<sup>[1](https://dlmf.nist.gov/26.14)</sup>

\[ \left\langle {n \atop k} \right\rangle = \sum_{j=0}^{k} (-1)^j \binom{n+1}{j} (k+1-j)^n, \qquad n \ge 1. \]

There is also an expression in terms of Stirling numbers of the second kind S(n, j), which count set partitions:<sup>[1](https://dlmf.nist.gov/26.14)</sup>

\[ \left\langle {n \atop k} \right\rangle = \sum_{j=0}^{n-k} (-1)^{n-k-j}\, j! \binom{n-j}{k} S(n,j). \]

The identity

\[ \sum_{k=0}^{n-1} \left\langle {n \atop k} \right\rangle \binom{x+k}{n} = x^n \]

expands the n-th power in a binomial-coefficient basis with Eulerian numbers as coefficients.<sup>[1](https://dlmf.nist.gov/26.14)</sup>

## Special values

The boundary and near-boundary entries have simple closed forms for n ≥ 1:<sup>[1](https://dlmf.nist.gov/26.14)</sup>

- ⟨n choose 0⟩ = 1, since only the increasing permutation has no descents.
- ⟨n choose 1⟩ = 2^n − n − 1.
- ⟨n choose 2⟩ = 3^n − (n+1)2^n + C(n+1, 2).

For n = 0 the value is ⟨0 choose k⟩ = δ_{0,k}, the [Kronecker delta](https://www.edgepedia.org/kronecker-delta).<sup>[1](https://dlmf.nist.gov/26.14)</sup>

## Connections to other number sequences

Eulerian numbers enter analysis through the Bernoulli numbers B_m, for which<sup>[1](https://dlmf.nist.gov/26.14)</sup>

\[ B_m = \frac{m}{2^m(2^m-1)} \sum_{k=0}^{m-2} (-1)^k \left\langle {m-1 \atop k} \right\rangle, \qquad m \ge 2. \]

They also invert to give [Stirling numbers of the second kind](https://www.edgepedia.org/stirling-numbers-of-the-second-kind):<sup>[1](https://dlmf.nist.gov/26.14)</sup>

\[ S(n,m) = \frac{1}{m!} \sum_{k=0}^{n-1} \left\langle {n \atop k} \right\rangle \binom{k}{n-m}, \qquad n \ge m,\ n \ge 1. \]

Despite the name, Eulerian numbers are not the Euler numbers E_n, the integers appearing in the power series expansion of 1/cosh z (E_2 = −1, E_4 = 5, E_6 = −61, and so on); the two sequences are distinct objects that share only a name.<sup>[6](https://doras.dcu.ie/31161/1/Euler-Frobenius-Numbers_final.pdf)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[7](https://encyclopediaofmath.org/wiki/Euler_numbers)</sup>

## Geometry

The Eulerian numbers have a geometric life as h-vectors. The sequence (⟨n choose 0⟩, ⟨n choose 1⟩, …, ⟨n choose n−1⟩) is the h-vector of the type A_{n−1} Coxeter complex, and Stanley's 1980 result that the h-vector of every simplicial convex polytope is unimodal and palindromic, part of the g-theorem of Billera, Lee, and Stanley, explains the observed symmetry and unimodality of the rows.<sup>[8](https://www.math.ias.edu/files/wam/mwachs.pdf)</sup> In the same geometric direction, the Ehrhart h*-vector of the hypersimplex has entries interpreted in terms of descents and excedances, with its normalized volume equal to an Eulerian number.<sup>[3](https://arxiv.org/abs/1104.5292)</sup>

## Variants and current work

The classical type A numbers generalize in several directions. Type B and type D Eulerian polynomials count descents in signed permutations, and q-analogs weight each permutation by its major index, giving polynomials A_n(t, q) = Σ t^{des(π)} q^{maj(π)}.<sup>[4](https://www.combinatorics.org/ojs/index.php/eljc/article/download/v31i1p36/pdf/)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[9](https://arxiv.org/abs/1610.07218)</sup> Further families include the Euler-Frobenius numbers, which depend on a continuous parameter λ and reduce to the Eulerian numbers at λ = 0,<sup>[6](https://doras.dcu.ie/31161/1/Euler-Frobenius-Numbers_final.pdf)</sup> and the 1/k-Eulerian numbers arising from lecture hall polytopes. Recent research continues to refine the classical theory, including the joint distribution of the first entry and the descent number of a random permutation<sup>[10](https://arxiv.org/abs/math/0508112)</sup> and the synchronization of descent and excedance counts within the alternating subgroup of even permutations.<sup>[11](https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0012365X25001293)</sup>

## References

1. [DLMF §26.14: Permutations: Order Notation, NIST Digital Library of Mathematical Functions](https://dlmf.nist.gov/26.14)
2. [Eulerian polynomials, SymCat](https://www.symmetricfunctions.com/eulerian.htm)
3. [Nan Li (2011). Ehrhart h*-vectors of hypersimplices. arXiv.](https://arxiv.org/abs/1104.5292)
4. [Some identities involving q-Stirling numbers, Electronic Journal of Combinatorics 31(1) (2024), #P1.36](https://www.combinatorics.org/ojs/index.php/eljc/article/download/v31i1p36/pdf/)
5. [Eulerian polynomials, P. Luschny](https://www.luschny.de/math/euler/EulerianPolynomials.html)
6. [Euler-Frobenius Numbers, Dublin City University repository](https://doras.dcu.ie/31161/1/Euler-Frobenius-Numbers_final.pdf)
7. [Euler numbers, Encyclopedia of Mathematics](https://encyclopediaofmath.org/wiki/Euler_numbers)
8. [Eulerian Polynomials and Beyond, lecture slides by Michelle Wachs, Institute for Advanced Study](https://www.math.ias.edu/files/wam/mwachs.pdf)
9. [Eulerian polynomials and descent statistics, arXiv](https://arxiv.org/abs/1610.07218)
10. [A Refinement of the Eulerian Numbers, and the Joint Distribution of π(1) and Des(π) in S_n, arXiv](https://arxiv.org/abs/math/0508112)
11. [Synchronicity of descent and excedance enumerators in the alternating subgroup, Discrete Mathematics 348(8) (2025)](https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0012365X25001293)

---
*Topic: Encyclopedia › Physical world and mathematics › Mathematics and statistics › Logic and discrete mathematics › General discrete mathematics and discrete structures › Combinatorics › Enumerative combinatorics › Generating functions and symbolic methods › Generating functions (general)*

*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 15, 2026 · Edited: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 15, 2026 · Last review: Oct 15, 2026*

*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*

License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license