Related papers: "Strange" occurrences in SuperEnalotto
We consider a random permutation drawn from the set of permutations of length $n$ that avoid some given set of patterns of length 3. We show that the number of occurrences of another pattern $\sigma$ has a limit distribution, after suitable…
Pairs of consecutive integers have the same height in the Collatz problem with surprising frequency. Garner gave a conjectural family of conditions for exactly when this occurs. Our main result is an infinite family of counterexamples to…
The expected length of longest common subsequences is a problem that has been in the literature for at least twenty five years. Determining the limiting constants \gamma_k appears to be quite difficult, and the current best bounds leave…
We find a two term asymptotic expansion for the optimal expected value of a sequentially selected monotone subsequence from a random permutation of length n. A striking feature of this expansion is that tells us that the expected value of…
Solutions to the random Fibonacci recurrence x_{n+1}=x_{n} + or - Bx_{n-1} decrease (increase) exponentially, x_{n} = exp(lambda n), for sufficiently small (large) B. In the limits B --> 0 and B --> infinity, we expand the Lyapunov exponent…
We consider $n$-sided dice whose face values lie between $1$ and $n$ and whose faces sum to $n(n+1)/2$. For two dice $A$ and $B$, define $A \succ B$ if it is more likely for $A$ to show a higher face than $B$. Suppose $k$ such dice…
The \textit{ternary digits of $2^n$} are a finite sequence of 0s, 1s, and 2s. It is a natural question to ask whether the frequency of any string of 0s, 1s, and 2s in this sequence approaches the same limit for all strings of the same…
We consider self-averaging sequences in which each term is a weighted average over previous terms. For several sequences of this kind it is known that they do not converge to a limit. These sequences share the property that $n$th term is…
This paper presents a new kind of self-balancing ternary search trie that uses a randomized balancing strategy adapted from Aragon and Seidel's randomized binary search trees ("treaps"). After any sequence of insertions and deletions of…
In a previous work, the first and third authors studied a random knot model for all two-bridge knots using billiard table diagrams. Here we present a closed formula for the distribution of the crossing numbers of such random knots. We also…
We introduce consecutive equi-$n$-squares, a variant of equi-$n$-squares in which at least one row or column forms a fixed permutation of $\{1,\dots,n\}$, taken for concreteness to be $(1,\dots,n)$. More generally, the enumeration and…
We study the singularity probability of random integer matrices. Concretely, the probability that a random $n \times n$ matrix, with integer entries chosen uniformly from $\{-m,\ldots,m\}$, is singular. This problem has been well studied in…
In "Recognizing the Maximum of a Sequence", Gilbert and Mosteller analyze a full information game where n measurements from an uniform distribution are drawn and a player (knowing n) must decide at each draw whether or not to choose that…
In this article, we study the behavior of a broad family of real sequences derived from randomized one-pile subtraction games. For any subtraction set $S$, we allow any valid number of chips $s\in S$ to be removed at equal probability at…
Let a tribonacci sequence be a sequence of integers satisfying $a_k=a_{k-1}+a_{k-2}+a_{k-3}$ for all $k\ge 4$. For any positive integers $k$ and $n$, denote by $f_k(n)$ the number of tribonacci sequences with $a_1, a_2, a_3>0$ and with…
The rules of Sudoku are often specified using twenty seven \texttt{all\_different} constraints, referred to as the {\em big} \mrules. Using graphical proofs and exploratory logic programming, the following main and new result is obtained:…
Chances of a gambler are always lower than chances of a casino in the case of an ideal, mathematically perfect roulette, if the capital of the gambler is limited and the minimum and maximum allowed bets are limited by the casino. However, a…
We consider the problem of identifying tandem scattered subsequences within a string. Our algorithm identifies a longest subsequence which occurs twice without overlap in a string. This algorithm is based on the Hunt-Szymanski algorithm,…
Counting substrings/subsequences that preserve some property (e.g., palindromes, squares) is an important mathematical interest in stringology. Recently, Glen et al. studied the number of Lyndon factors in a string. A string $w = uv$ is…
Counting permutations of $[n]$ by the number of records, i.e. left-to-right maxima, is a classic problem in combinatorial enumeration. In the first volume of ``The Art of Computer Programming", Donald Knuth demonstrated its relevance for…