A partition may be represented graphically by an array of nodes called its Ferrers graph. In this type of graph a part of size \(m\) is represented by a row of \(m\) dots, the rows are left-justified and arranged in non-increasing order from top to bottom. For example, the Ferrers graph of the partition \(8 + 8 + 7 + 6 + 5 + 4 + 2 + 1\) is shown in Figure 1.

Ferrers graphs play an important part in the combinatorial proofs of partition identities.
See also the pages on Conjugate and Self-conjugate Partitions and Durfee Square.

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