Journal of Integer Sequences, Vol. 28 (2025), Article 25.1.5

Relative Position in Binary Substitutions


Michael Coons
Department of Mathematics and Statistics
California State University, Chico
Chico, CA 95926
USA

Christopher Ramsey
Department of Mathematics and Statistics
MacEwan University
Edmonton, AB T5J 4S2
Canada

Nicolae Strungaru
Department of Mathematics and Statistics
MacEwan University
Edmonton, AB T5J 4S2
Canada
and
Institute of Mathematics "Simon Stoilow"
Bucharest 010702
Romania

Abstract:

Given an infinite word on a finite alphabet, an immediate question arises: can we understand the frequency of letters in that word? For words that are the fixed points of substitutions, the answer to this question is often 'yes'—the details and methods of these answers have been well-documented. In this paper, toward a better understanding of the fixed points of binary substitutions, we delve deeper by investigating, in fine detail, the position of letters by defining various position functions and proving results about their behavior. Our analysis reveals new information about the Fibonacci substitution and the extended Pisa family of substitutions, as well as a new characterization of the Thue-Morse sequence.


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(Concerned with sequences A003849 A010060.)


Received October 15 2024; revised versions received October 16 2024; February 9 2025. Published in Journal of Integer Sequences, February 12 2025.


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