Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Cainelli, Eugenio, Luccioli, Lorenzo, Iraci, Alessandro, D'Adderio, Michele, Paolini, Giovanni
Format: Preprint
Published: 2026
Subjects:
Online Access:https://arxiv.org/abs/2605.19063
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1866910234783514624
author Cainelli, Eugenio
Luccioli, Lorenzo
Iraci, Alessandro
D'Adderio, Michele
Paolini, Giovanni
author_facet Cainelli, Eugenio
Luccioli, Lorenzo
Iraci, Alessandro
D'Adderio, Michele
Paolini, Giovanni
contents Inspired by long-standing open problems in algebraic combinatorics, we show that modern machine learning can meaningfully contribute to verifiable mathematical discoveries. In particular, we focus on the construction of simple mathematical functions under exact distributional constraints, a setting we formalize as Simple Learning Under Rigid Proportions (SLURP). We tackle this problem by introducing two methods: MapSeek-Functional, which models the desired function alternating pseudo-labeling and supervised training steps; and MapSeek-Symbolic, designed to directly produce symbolic formulas. We successfully apply both methods to a research problem in algebraic combinatorics, discovering a new combinatorial interpretation of the $q,t$-Narayana polynomials arising from representation theory. To our knowledge, this is the first such interpretation based on noncrossing partitions. Using one discovered statistic, we find a combinatorial proof of the symmetry of these polynomials in a previously unsolved case. To streamline verification and reproducibility, we release all code, including a formalization of all the mathematical discoveries of this paper in Lean 4.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2605_19063
institution arXiv
publishDate 2026
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Mapping Uncharted Symmetries: Machine Discovery in Combinatorics
Cainelli, Eugenio
Luccioli, Lorenzo
Iraci, Alessandro
D'Adderio, Michele
Paolini, Giovanni
Machine Learning
Inspired by long-standing open problems in algebraic combinatorics, we show that modern machine learning can meaningfully contribute to verifiable mathematical discoveries. In particular, we focus on the construction of simple mathematical functions under exact distributional constraints, a setting we formalize as Simple Learning Under Rigid Proportions (SLURP). We tackle this problem by introducing two methods: MapSeek-Functional, which models the desired function alternating pseudo-labeling and supervised training steps; and MapSeek-Symbolic, designed to directly produce symbolic formulas. We successfully apply both methods to a research problem in algebraic combinatorics, discovering a new combinatorial interpretation of the $q,t$-Narayana polynomials arising from representation theory. To our knowledge, this is the first such interpretation based on noncrossing partitions. Using one discovered statistic, we find a combinatorial proof of the symmetry of these polynomials in a previously unsolved case. To streamline verification and reproducibility, we release all code, including a formalization of all the mathematical discoveries of this paper in Lean 4.
title Mapping Uncharted Symmetries: Machine Discovery in Combinatorics
topic Machine Learning
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2605.19063