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Full-Text Articles in Discrete Mathematics and Combinatorics

Combinatorial And Asymptotic Statistical Properties Of Partitions And Unimodal Sequences, Walter Mcfarland Bridges May 2020

Combinatorial And Asymptotic Statistical Properties Of Partitions And Unimodal Sequences, Walter Mcfarland Bridges

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Our main results are asymptotic zero-one laws satisfied by the diagrams of unimodal sequences of positive integers. These diagrams consist of columns of squares in the plane; the upper boundary is called the shape. For various types of unimodal sequences, we show that, as the number of squares tends to infinity, 100% of shapes are near a certain curve---that is, there is a single limit shape. Similar phenomena have been well-studied for integer partitions, but several technical difficulties arise in the extension of such asymptotic statistical laws to unimodal sequences. We develop a widely applicable method for obtaining these limit …


Influences Of Probability Instruction On Undergraduates' Understanding Of Counting Processes, Kayla Blyman Jan 2017

Influences Of Probability Instruction On Undergraduates' Understanding Of Counting Processes, Kayla Blyman

Theses and Dissertations--Education Sciences

Historically, students in an introductory finite mathematics course at a major university in the mid-south have struggled the most with the counting and probability unit, leading instructors to question if there was a better way to help students master the material. The purpose of this study was to begin to understand connections that undergraduate finite mathematics students are making between counting and probability. By examining student performance in counting and probability, this study provides insights that inform future instruction in courses that include counting and probability. Consequently, this study lays the groundwork for future inquiries in the field of undergraduate …


Cycle Lengths Of Θ-Biased Random Permutations, Tongjia Shi Jan 2014

Cycle Lengths Of Θ-Biased Random Permutations, Tongjia Shi

HMC Senior Theses

Consider a probability distribution on the permutations of n elements. If the probability of each permutation is proportional to θK, where K is the number of cycles in the permutation, then we say that the distribution generates a θ-biased random permutation. A random permutation is a special θ-biased random permutation with θ = 1. The mth moment of the rth longest cycle of a random permutation is Θ(nm), regardless of r and θ. The joint moments are derived, and it is shown that the longest cycles of a permutation can either be positively or …