Non-central generalized q-factorial coefficients and q-Stirling numbers Original Research Article

The qs-differences of the non-central generalized q-factorials of t of order n, scale parameter s and non-centrality parameter r, at t=0, are thoroughly examined. These numbers for s→0 and s→∞ converge to the non-central q-Stirling numbers of the first and the second kind, respectively. Explicit expressions, recurrence relations, generating functions and other properties of these q-numbers are derived. Further, a sequence of Bernoulli trials is considered in which the conditional probability of success at the nth trial, given that k successes occur before that trial, varies geometrically with n and k. Then, the probability functions of the number of successes in n trials and the number of trials until the occurrence of the kth success are deduced in terms of the qs-differences of the non-central generalized q-factorials of t of order n, scale parameter s and non-centrality parameter r.