Related papers: The Broken Stick Project
Binary segmentation is the classic greedy algorithm which recursively splits a sequential data set by optimizing some loss or likelihood function. Binary segmentation is widely used for changepoint detection in data sets measured over space…
The geometric $\delta$-minimum spanning tree problem ($\delta$-MST) is the problem of finding a minimum spanning tree for a set of points in a normed vector space, such that no vertex in the tree has a degree which exceeds $\delta$, and the…
We study the network dismantling problem, which consists in determining a minimal set of vertices whose removal leaves the network broken into connected components of sub-extensive size. For a large class of random graphs, this problem is…
We study sequences of partitions of the unit interval into subintervals, starting from the trivial partition, in which each partition is obtained from the one before by splitting its subintervals in two, according to a given rule, and then…
A new class of nonparametric prior distributions, termed Beta-Binomial stick-breaking process, is proposed. By allowing the underlying length random variables to be dependent through a Beta marginals Markov chain, an appealing discrete…
Consider an infinite sequence $(x_k)_{k=1}^{\infty}$ on the unit circle $\mathbb{S}^1$. We may interpret the first $n$ elements $(x_k)_{k=1}^{n}$ as places where the `circular stick' $\mathbb{S}^1$ is broken into a total of $n+1$ pieces. It…
We present a conclusive answer to Bertrand's paradox, a long standing open issue in the basic physical interpretation of probability. The paradox deals with the existence of mutually inconsistent results when looking for the probability…
In this article we consider the problem of testing, for two finite sets of points in the Euclidean space, if their convex hulls are disjoint and computing an optimal supporting hyperplane if so. This is a fundamental problem of…
We study the problem of cutting a length-$n$ string of positive real numbers into $k$ pieces so that every piece has sum at least $b$. The problem can also be phrased as transforming such a string into a new one by merging adjacent numbers.…
Traditional high-stakes summative assessments--timed, in-class exams accounting for a large percentage of the term's overall grade--have often received criticism from the educational community. Such assessments tend to prize a particular…
We study the number of random records in an arbitrary split tree (or equivalently, the number of random cuttings required to eliminate the tree). We show that a classical limit theorem for convergence of sums of triangular arrays to…
Dirichlet processes and their extensions have reached a great popularity in Bayesian nonparametric statistics. They have also been introduced for spatial and spatio-temporal data, as a tool to analyze and predict surfaces. A popular…
We study sequences of partitions of a non decreasing sequence I n of intervals into subintervals, starting from the trivial partition, in which each partition is obtained from the one before by splitting its subintervals in two, according…
The broken random sample problem was first introduced by DeGroot, Feder, and Gole (1971, Ann. Math. Statist.): in each observation (batch), a random sample of $M$ i.i.d. point pairs $ ((X_i,Y_i))_{i=1}^M$ is drawn from a joint distribution…
In this article we describe special type of mathematical problems that may help develop teaching methods that motivate students to explore patterns, formulate conjectures and find solutions without only memorizing formulas and procedures.…
Minimum Spanning Trees are a well-studied subset of graph problems. While classical algorithms have existed to solve these problems for decades, new variations and application areas are constantly being discovered. When dealing with large…
Learning is a physical process. Here, we aim to study a simple dynamical system composed of springs and sticks capable of arbitrarily approximating any continuous function. The main idea of our work is to use the sticks to mimic a…
We find a remarkable agreement between the statistics of a randomly divided interval and the observed statistical patterns and distributions found in horse racing betting markets. We compare the distribution of implied winning odds, the…
String matching is the problem of deciding whether a given $n$-bit string contains a given $k$-bit pattern. We study the complexity of this problem in three settings. Communication complexity. For small $k$, we provide near-optimal upper…
Given a sequence of $N$ positive real numbers $\{a_1,a_2,..., a_N \}$, the number partitioning problem consists of partitioning them into two sets such that the absolute value of the difference of the sums of $a_j$ over the two sets is…