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Source and scope. This elementary expansion supplies the comparison with 2N/N2^N/\sqrt N used in Erdős (1945), Theorem 2, printed p. 899 (published scan). It is not a separately numbered lemma in the paper.

Statement. For every integer N≥1N\ge1,

2N2N≤BN≤2 2NN,BN=(N⌊N/2⌋).\frac{2^N}{2\sqrt N} \le B_N \le \frac{\sqrt2\,2^N}{\sqrt N}, \qquad B_N=\binom N{\lfloor N/2\rfloor}.

Proof. Set qm=(2mm)/4mq_m=\binom{2m}m/4^m, so q0=1q_0=1 and

qmqm−1=2m−12m(m≥1).\frac{q_m}{q_{m-1}}=\frac{2m-1}{2m} \qquad(m\ge1).

We first show

12m≤qm≤1m+1(m≥1).\frac1{2\sqrt m}\le q_m\le\frac1{\sqrt{m+1}} \qquad(m\ge1).

For the lower bound, q1=1/2q_1=1/2. For m≥2m\ge2,

(2m−12m)2≥m−1m.\left(\frac{2m-1}{2m}\right)^2 \ge\frac{m-1}{m}.

The recurrence therefore carries qm−1≥1/(2m−1)q_{m-1}\ge1/(2\sqrt{m-1}) to qm≥1/(2m)q_m\ge1/(2\sqrt m). For the upper bound, start with q0=1q_0=1 and use

(2m−12m)2≤mm+1(m≥1).\left(\frac{2m-1}{2m}\right)^2 \le\frac m{m+1} \qquad(m\ge1).

After clearing the positive denominators, this inequality is 1≤3m1\le3m. It carries qm−1≤1/mq_{m-1}\le1/\sqrt m to qm≤1/m+1q_m\le1/\sqrt{m+1}.

For even N=2mN=2m, BN/2N=qmB_N/2^N=q_m. For odd N=2m−1N=2m-1, (2mm)=2(2m−1m−1)\binom{2m}m=2\binom{2m-1}{m-1} gives the same identity. Thus for every N≥1N\ge1,

BN2N=q⌈N/2⌉.\frac{B_N}{2^N}=q_{\lceil N/2\rceil}.

Since ⌈N/2⌉≤N\lceil N/2\rceil\le N and ⌈N/2⌉+1≥N/2\lceil N/2\rceil+1\ge N/2, the preceding two bounds imply the statement. □\square

Use. The constants suffice for Theorem 2 and the assertion that its order in NN cannot be improved at fixed radius one. No optimal constant or Stirling estimate is asserted.