Related papers: Weighing the "Heaviest" Polya Urn

I present a generalization of the Ehrenfest urn model that is aimed at simulating the approach to equilibrium in a dilute gas. The present model differs from the original one in two respects: 1) the two boxes have different volumes and are…

We consider the log-Gamma polymer in the half-space with bulk weights distributed as $\operatorname{Gamma}^{-1}(2\theta)$ and diagonal weights as $\operatorname{Gamma}^{-1}(\alpha+\theta)$ for $\theta>0$ and $\alpha>-\theta$. We show that…

We prove that for all fixed $p > 2$, the translative packing density of unit $\ell_p$-balls in $\mathbb{R}^n$ is at most $2^{(\gamma_p + o(1))n}$ with $\gamma_p < - 1/p$. This is the first exponential improvement in high dimensions since…

For a given sequence of weights (non-negative numbers), we consider partitions of the positive integer n. Each n-partition is selected uniformly at random from the set of all such partitions. Under a classical scheme of assumptions on the…

In two-dimensional rotating drum experiments, we find two separate influences of the packing fraction of a granular heap on its stability. For a fixed grain shape, the stability increases with packing fraction. However, in determining the…

We give bounds for (central) moments for balanced P\'olya urns under very general conditions. In some cases, these bounds imply that moment convergence holds in earlier known results on asymptotic distribution. The results overlap with…

Consider an urn filled with balls, each labeled with one of several possible collective decisions. Now, let a random voter draw two balls from the urn and pick her more preferred as the collective decision. Relabel the losing ball with the…

We study a two-dimensional generalization of the classical Bin Packing problem, denoted as 2D Demand Bin Packing. In this context, each bin is a horizontal timeline, and rectangular tasks (representing electric appliances or computational…

Various forms of sorting problems have been studied over the years. Recently, two kinds of sorting puzzle apps are popularized. In these puzzles, we are given a set of bins filled with colored units, balls or water, and some empty bins.…

Consider two sequences of $n$ independent and identically distributed fair coin tosses, $X=(X_1,\ldots,X_n)$ and $Y=(Y_1,\ldots,Y_n)$, which are $\rho$-correlated for each $j$, i.e. $\mathbb{P}[X_j=Y_j] = {1+\rho\over 2}$. We study the…

We obtain closed expressions for weighted orthogonal polynomials and optimal approximants associated with the function $f(z)=1-\frac{1}{\sqrt{2}}(z_1+z_2)$ and a scale of Hilbert function spaces in the unit $2$-ball having reproducing…

A classical theorem of Macbeath states that for any integers $d \geq 2$, $n \geq d+1$, $d$-dimensional Euclidean balls are hardest to approximate, in terms of volume difference, by inscribed convex polytopes with $n$ vertices. In this paper…

In this paper, we establish hardness and approximation results for various $L_p$-ball constrained homogeneous polynomial optimization problems, where $p \in [2,\infty]$. Specifically, we prove that for any given $d \ge 3$ and $p \in…

Determining how close a winner of an election is to becoming a loser, or distinguishing between different possible winners of an election, are major problems in computational social choice. We tackle these problems for so-called weighted…

In 1900, as a part of his 18th problem, Hilbert proposed the question to determine the densest congruent (or translative) packings of a given solid, such as the unit ball or the regular tetrahedron of unit edges. Up to now, our knowledge…

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…

A $k$-majority tournament $T$ on a finite set of vertices $V$ is defined by a set of $2k-1$ linear orders on $V$, with an edge $u \to v$ in $T$ if $u>v$ in a majority of the linear orders. We think of the linear orders as voter preferences…

We have looked into an experiment that has been termed the ``canonical example'' of jamming: granular material, clogging the outlet of a container as it is discharged by gravity. We present quantitative data of such an experiment. The…

We suggest a governing equation which describes the process of polymer chain translocation through a narrow pore and reconciles the seemingly contradictory features of such dynamics: (i) a Gaussian probability distribution of the…

We consider subdiffusion of a particle in a one-dimensional system with a thin partially permeable wall. Passing through the wall, the particle can be absorbed with a certain probability. We call such a wall partially permeable partially…