Strings with maximally many distinct subsequences and substrings (Q1422149): Difference between revisions
From MaRDI portal
Removed claim: author (P16): Item:Q452815 |
Changed an Item |
||
Property / author | |||
Property / author: Abraham D. Flaxman / rank | |||
Normal rank |
Revision as of 09:07, 15 February 2024
scientific article
Language | Label | Description | Also known as |
---|---|---|---|
English | Strings with maximally many distinct subsequences and substrings |
scientific article |
Statements
Strings with maximally many distinct subsequences and substrings (English)
0 references
5 February 2004
0 references
Summary: A natural problem in extremal combinatorics is to maximize the number of distinct subsequences for any length-\(n\) string over a finite alphabet \(\Sigma\); this value grows exponentially, but slower than \(2^n\). We use the probabilistic method to determine the maximizing string, which is a cyclically repeating string. The number of distinct subsequences is exactly enumerated by a generating function, from which we also derive asymptotic estimates. For the alphabet \(\Sigma={1,2}, (1,2,1,2,...)\) has the maximum number of distinct subsequences, namely Fib \((n+3)-1\sim ((1+\sqrt5)/2)^{n+3} / \sqrt5\). We also consider the same problem with substrings in lieu of subsequences. Here, we show that an appropriately truncated de Bruijn word attains the maximum. For both problems, we compare the performance of random strings with that of the optimal ones.
0 references
extremal combinatorics
0 references