Problem

Source: 2022 Revenge ELSMO #4

Tags: revenge elsmo, revenge elmo, combinatorics, relmo



Let $m$ be a nonnegative integer. Show that the number of tilings of a $(2m + 2) \times (2m + 2)$ grid of squares by $1 \times 2$ or $2 \times 1$ rectangles is at least $$2 \cdot 2^{\frac{5}{2}m} \cdot 5120^{\frac{1}{8}m^2}.$$ Proposed by Milan Haiman