The box parameter for words and permutations

Abstract

AbstractThe box parameter for words counts how often two letters w j and w k define a “box” such that all the letters w j+1; ..., w k−1 fall into that box. It is related to the visibility parameter and other parameters on words. Three models are considered: Words over a finite alphabet, permutations, and words with letters following a geometric distribution. A typical result is: The average box parameter for words over an M letter alphabet is asymptotically given by 2n − 2n H M/M, for fixed M and n → ∞.