Skip to main content
Log in

Waiting time for consecutive repetitions of a pattern and related distributions

  • Published:
Annals of the Institute of Statistical Mathematics Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Let k be a positive integer. Some exact distributions of the waiting time random variables for k consecutive repetitions of a pattern are derived in a sequence of independent identically distributed trials. It is proved that the number of equations of conditional probability generating functions for deriving the distribution can be reduced to less than or equal to the length of the basic pattern to be repeated consecutively. By using the result, various properties of the distributions of usual runs are extended to those of consecutive repetitions of a pattern. These results include some properties of the geometric distribution of order k and those of the waiting time distributions of the \((k_1,k_2)\)-events. Further, the probability generating function of the number of non-overlapping occurrences of k consecutive repetitions of a pattern can be written in an explicit form with k as a parameter. Some recurrence relations, which are useful for evaluating the probability mass functions, are also given.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Fig. 1

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Aki, S., Hirano, K. (1995). Joint distributions of number of success-runs and failures until the first consecutive \(k\) successes. Annals of the Institute of Statistical Mathematics, 47, 225–235.

  • Aki, S., Hirano, K. (2002). On waiting time for reversed patterns in random sequences. Annals of the Institute of Statistical Mathematics, 54, 713–718.

  • Balakrishnan, N., Koutras, M. V. (2002). Runs and scans with applications. New York: Wiley.

  • Dafnis, S. D., Antzoulakos, D. L., Philippou, A. N. (2010). Distributions related \((k_1, k_2)\) events. Journal of Statistical Planning and Inference, 140, 1691–1700.

  • Feller, W. (1968). An introduction to probability theory and its applications (3rd ed., Vol. 1). New York: Wiley.

    MATH  Google Scholar 

  • Fu, J. C. (1996). Distribution theory of runs and patterns associated with a sequence of multi-state trials. Statistica Sinica, 6, 957–974.

    MathSciNet  MATH  Google Scholar 

  • Fu, J. C., Koutras, M. V. (1994). Distribution theory of runs: a Markov chain approach. Journal of the American Statistical Association, 89, 1050–1058.

  • Huang, W., Tsai, C. (1991). On modified binomial distribution of order \(k\). Statistics and Probability Letters, 11, 125–131.

  • Johnson, N. L., Kemp, A. W., Kotz, S. (2005). Univariate discrete distributions (3rd ed.). New York: Wiley.

  • Shmueli, G., Cohen, A. (2000). Run-related probability functions applied to sampling inspection. Technometrics, 42(2), 188–202.

  • Stanley, R. P. (1997). Enumerative combinatorics (Vol. 1). New York: Cambridge University Press.

    Book  MATH  Google Scholar 

  • Stefanov, V. T., Manca, R. (2013). Distributions associated with \((k_1, k_2)\) events on semi-Markov binary trials. Journal of Statistical Planning and Inference, 143, 1233–1243.

  • Todhunter, I. (1865). A history of the mathematical theory of probability from the time of Pascal to that of Laplace. London: Macmillan. Reprinted by Chelsea Publishing Company, New York, 1949.

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Sigeo Aki.

Additional information

This research was partially supported by the Kansai University Grant-in-Aid for progress of research in graduate course.

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Aki, S. Waiting time for consecutive repetitions of a pattern and related distributions. Ann Inst Stat Math 71, 307–325 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10463-018-0644-2

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10463-018-0644-2

Keywords

Navigation