Related papers: Broken bricks and the pick-up sticks problem
We present a variation of the broken stick problem in which $n$ stick lengths are sampled uniformly at random. We prove that the probability that no three sticks can form a triangle is the reciprocal of the product of the first $n$…
We use the idea of the broken stick problem (which goes back to Poincare) and calculate the corresponding probabilities for the cases in which the three broken part are: the medians in a triangle, the altitudes, radii of excircles, angle…
We apply a classic result in Theoretical Computer Science to solve a sticky problem, and give a neat and slick quick proof of half of it
Regard the closed interval $[0,1]$ as a stick. Partition $[0,1]$ into $n+1$ different intervals $I_1, \ \dots \ , I_{n+1},$ where $n \geq 2,$ which represent smaller sticks. The classical Broken Stick problem asks to find the probability…
The broken stick problem is the following classical question. You have a segment $[0,1]$. You choose two points on this segment at random. They divide the segment into three smaller segments. Show that the probability that the three…
The set splittability problem is the following: given a finite collection of finite sets, does there exits a single set that contains exactly half the elements from each set in the collection? (If a set has odd size, we allow the floor or…
A popular problem asks for the equilibrium separation between two identical (mutually repelling) charges suspended by strings fastened to a common point. We slightly modify this problem by considering two opposite (mutually attracting)…
Let a stick be broken at random at n-1 points to form n pieces. We consider three problems on forming k-gons with k out of these n pieces, and show how a statistical approach, through a linear transformation of variables, yields simple…
The combinatorial properties of partitions with various restrictions on their hooksets are explored. A connection with numerical semigroups extends current results on simultaneous s/t-cores. Conditions that suffice for a partition to…
How can a stack of identical blocks be arranged to extend beyond the edge of a table as far as possible? We consider a generalization of this classic puzzle to blocks that differ in width and mass. Despite the seemingly simple premise, we…
Probabilistic argumentation allows reasoning about argumentation problems in a way that is well-founded by probability theory. However, in practice, this approach can be severely limited by the fact that probabilities are defined by adding…
Stick graphs are defined as follows. Let A (respectively B) be a set of vertical (respectively horizontal) segments in the plane such that the bottom endpoints of the segments in A and the left endpoints of the segments in B lie on the same…
The concepts of symmetry and its breakdown are investigated in two different terms according to whether the resulting asymmetry is universal or only obtained for a special configuration: we shall illustrate this by considering in the first…
Break a stick at random at $n-1$ points to obtain $n$ pieces. We give an explicit formula for the probability that every choice of $k$ segments from this broken stick can form a $k$-gon, generalizing similar work. The method we use can be…
We consider the optimal conduction path of the one-dimensional variable-range hopping problem. We describe a hierarchical procedure for constructing the path which is in excellent agreement with numerical results obtained from a percolation…
Given a set of coins arranged in a line, we remove heads-up coins one at a time and flip any adjacent coins after each removal. The coin-removal problem is to determine for which arrangements of coins it is possible to remove all of the…
In this note we introduce a notion of a generically (strongly generically) NP-complete problem and show that the randomized bounded version of the halting problem is strongly generically NP-complete.
Run-and-tumble particles confined between two walls seem like a simple enough problem to possess analytical tractability. Yet up to date, no satisfactory analysis is available for dimensions higher than one. This work contributes to the…
We generalize lattice models of brittle fracture to arbitrary nonlinear force laws and study the existence of arrested semi-infinite cracks. Unlike what is seen in the discontinuous case studied to date, the range in driving displacement…
In a classic paper Schr\"oder posed four combinatorial problems about the number of certain types of bracketings of words and sets. Here we address what these bracketings look like on average. For each of the four problems we prove that a…