A matrix variation on Ramus's identity for lacunary sums of binomial coefficients

Abstract

We study the well-known lacunary sums of binomial coefficients considered, most notably, by Christian Ramus, and their connection to a special kind of harmonic number associated with the first case of Fermat's Last Theorem. For one case of Ramus's famous identity we obtain a variation in which some of the parameters are replaced by square matrices of arbitrary dimension.