A Sequential Search Distribution: Proofreading, Russian Roulette, and the Incomplete q-Eulerian Polynomials

The distribution for the number of searches needed to find k of n lost objects is expressed in terms of a refinement of the q-Eulerian polynomials, for which formulae are developed involving homogeneous symmetric polynomials. In the case when k=n and the find probability remains constant, relatively...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Travis Herbranson, Don Rawlings
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Discrete Mathematics & Theoretical Computer Science 2001-01-01
Series:Discrete Mathematics & Theoretical Computer Science
Subjects:
Online Access:https://dmtcs.episciences.org/2281/pdf
Description
Summary:The distribution for the number of searches needed to find k of n lost objects is expressed in terms of a refinement of the q-Eulerian polynomials, for which formulae are developed involving homogeneous symmetric polynomials. In the case when k=n and the find probability remains constant, relatively simple and efficient formulas are obtained.From our main theorem, we further (1) deduce the inverse absorption distribution and (2) determine the expected number of times the survivor pulls the trigger in an n-player game of Russian roulette.
ISSN:1365-8050