Related papers: The equalization probability of the Polya urn
Classical voting rules assume that ballots are complete preference orders over candidates. However, when the number of candidates is large enough, it is too costly to ask the voters to rank all candidates. We suggest to fix a rank k, to ask…
Many approximation algorithms and heuristic algorithms to find a fair clustering have emerged. In this paper we define a new and natural variant of fair clustering problem and design a polynomial time algorithm to compute an optimal fair…
We consider the unbalanced allocation of $m$ balls into $n$ bins by a randomized algorithm using the "power of two choices". For each ball, we select a set of bins at random, then place the ball in the fullest bin within the set.…
On March 16, 2024, Daniel Litt, in an X-post, proposed the following brainteaser: "Flip a fair coin 100 times. It gives a sequence of heads (H) and tails (T). For each HH in the sequence of flips, Alice gets a point; for each HT, Bob does,…
Suppose that there are n bins, and balls arrive in a Poisson process at rate \lambda n, where \lambda >0 is a constant. Upon arrival, each ball chooses a fixed number d of random bins, and is placed into one with least load. Balls have…
In a recent article in American Scientist, Theodore Hill described a coin-tossing game whose pay-off is the number of heads over the total number of throws. Suppose that at a given point during the game you have 5 heads and 3 tails, should…
Consider a bin containing $n$ balls colored with two colors. In a $k$-query, $k$ balls are selected by a questioner and the oracle's reply is related (depending on the computation model being considered) to the distribution of colors of the…
The problem of creating a three-sided dice with the probability of it landing on each of its sides being equal to 1/3 has been around for many years. Various approaches have been attempted, but as different authors achieved at different…
The evaluation of the probability of union of a large number of independent events requires several combinations involving the factorial and the use of high performance computers with several hours of processing. Bounds and simplifications…
In this paper, we consider a new type of urn scheme, where the selection probabilities are proportional to a weight function, which is linear but decreasing in the proportion of existing colours. We refer to it as the \emph{negatively…
We consider a generalization of the Bernoulli-Laplace model in which there are two urns and $n$ total balls, of which $r$ are red and $n - r$ white, and where the left urn holds $m$ balls. At each time increment, $k$ balls are chosen…
A sequence of spin-1/2 particles polarised in one of two possible directions is presented to an experimenter, who can wager in a double-or-nothing game on the outcomes of measurements in freely chosen polarisation directions. Wealth is…
Consider a universal Turing machine that produces a partial or total function (or a binary stream), based on the answers to the binary queries that it makes during the computation. We study the probability that the machine will produce a…
Drawing (a multiset of) coloured balls from an urn is one of the most basic models in discrete probability theory. Three modes of drawing are commonly distinguished: multinomial (draw-replace), hypergeometric (draw-delete), and Polya…
We show that if f is an injection from an n-dimensional Boolean cube (considered as an additive group) to a group of prime order then the probability that f(x+y)=f(x)+f(y) is O(2^{-n/11}).
The Sleeping Beauty problem is a puzzle in probability theory that has gained much attention since Elga's discussion of it [Elga, Adam, Analysis 60 (2), p.143-147 (2000)]. Sleeping Beauty is put asleep, and a coin is tossed. If the outcome…
Many binary collective choice situations can be described as weighted simple voting games. We introduce weighted committee games to model decisions on an arbitrary number of alternatives in analogous fashion. We compare the effect of…
Despite the coupon collector's problem has simple probabilistic solution using inclusion/exclusion principle \cite{PolyaUrn}, starting from a particular type of recurrence differential equation it is used an analytic approach to recover…
In this paper we are shown the following facts: The probability of increased $ A_{k}=P(T^{k} (x_{0})>T^{k-1} (x_{0})) $, and the probability of decrease $B_{k}=P(T^{k} (x_{0})<T^{k-1} (x_{0}))$ in step $ k $ of a Collataz procedure…
While proportionality is frequently named as a desirable property of voting rules, its interpretation in multiwinner voting differs significantly from that in apportionment. We aim to bridge these two distinct notions of proportionality by…