On coupon collector's and Dixie cup problems under fixed and random sample size sampling schemes (Q1680802)

This paper considers a Pólya model [\textit{G. Pólya}, Z. Angew. Math. Mech. 10, 96--97 (1930; JFM 56.0447.01)] which implements the coupon problem of interest. The authors first study the case of a fixed and random sample size sampling schemes known as the coupon collector's problem. A theorem provides the proof of the existence, for this problem, of a homogeneous Markov chain. Another theorem establishes that the corresponding waiting time random variable is a finite embeddable Markov chain. As a consequence, it is deduced that the essential transition probability matrix, associated with the random sample size sampling scheme, is a weighted sum of essential transition probability matrices. Additionally, the moment generating function, the mean and the second moment are obtained. The case of the Dixie cup problem is studied similarly for deriving that also a finite Markov chain embeddable condition describes the behavior of the waiting time random variable. They develop an example as illustration. A Matlab code is used for developing numerical experiments.