• Log InLog In
  • Register
Liquid`
Team Liquid Liquipedia
EST 11:46
CET 17:46
KST 01:46
  • Home
  • Forum
  • Calendar
  • Streams
  • Liquipedia
  • Features
  • Store
  • EPT
  • TL+
  • StarCraft 2
  • Brood War
  • Smash
  • Heroes
  • Counter-Strike
  • Overwatch
  • Liquibet
  • Fantasy StarCraft
  • TLPD
  • StarCraft 2
  • Brood War
  • Blogs
Forum Sidebar
Events/Features
News
Featured News
RSL Season 3 - Playoffs Preview0RSL Season 3 - RO16 Groups C & D Preview0RSL Season 3 - RO16 Groups A & B Preview2TL.net Map Contest #21: Winners12Intel X Team Liquid Seoul event: Showmatches and Meet the Pros10
Community News
BGE Stara Zagora 2026 announced6[BSL21] Ro.16 Group Stage (C->B->A->D)4Weekly Cups (Nov 17-23): Solar, MaxPax, Clem win3RSL Season 3: RO16 results & RO8 bracket13Weekly Cups (Nov 10-16): Reynor, Solar lead Zerg surge2
StarCraft 2
General
BGE Stara Zagora 2026 announced SC: Evo Complete - Ranked Ladder OPEN ALPHA When will we find out if there are more tournament Weekly Cups (Nov 17-23): Solar, MaxPax, Clem win Weekly Cups (Nov 10-16): Reynor, Solar lead Zerg surge
Tourneys
Constellation Cup - Main Event - Stellar Fest Tenacious Turtle Tussle [Alpha Pro Series] Nice vs Cure RSL Revival: Season 3 $5,000+ WardiTV 2025 Championship
Strategy
Custom Maps
Map Editor closed ?
External Content
Mutation # 501 Price of Progress Mutation # 500 Fright night Mutation # 499 Chilling Adaptation Mutation # 498 Wheel of Misfortune|Cradle of Death
Brood War
General
Which season is the best in ASL? A cwal.gg Extension - Easily keep track of anyone BW General Discussion soO on: FanTaSy's Potential Return to StarCraft BGH Auto Balance -> http://bghmmr.eu/
Tourneys
[Megathread] Daily Proleagues Small VOD Thread 2.0 [BSL21] RO16 Tie Breaker - Group B - Sun 21:00 CET [BSL21] GosuLeague T1 Ro16 - Tue & Thu 22:00 CET
Strategy
Game Theory for Starcraft How to stay on top of macro? Current Meta PvZ map balance
Other Games
General Games
Nintendo Switch Thread The Perfect Game Stormgate/Frost Giant Megathread Beyond All Reason Should offensive tower rushing be viable in RTS games?
Dota 2
Official 'what is Dota anymore' discussion
League of Legends
Heroes of the Storm
Simple Questions, Simple Answers Heroes of the Storm 2.0
Hearthstone
Deck construction bug Heroes of StarCraft mini-set
TL Mafia
Mafia Game Mode Feedback/Ideas TL Mafia Community Thread
Community
General
Russo-Ukrainian War Thread US Politics Mega-thread Things Aren’t Peaceful in Palestine Artificial Intelligence Thread YouTube Thread
Fan Clubs
White-Ra Fan Club
Media & Entertainment
[Manga] One Piece Movie Discussion! Anime Discussion Thread
Sports
2024 - 2026 Football Thread Formula 1 Discussion NBA General Discussion MLB/Baseball 2023 TeamLiquid Health and Fitness Initiative For 2023
World Cup 2022
Tech Support
Computer Build, Upgrade & Buying Resource Thread
TL Community
Where to ask questions and add stream? The Automated Ban List
Blogs
Esports Earnings: Bigger Pri…
TrAiDoS
Thanks for the RSL
Hildegard
Saturation point
Uldridge
DnB/metal remix FFO Mick Go…
ImbaTosS
Customize Sidebar...

Website Feedback

Closed Threads



Active: 1588 users

What is a Baxter Permutation?

Blogs > Geovu
Post a Reply
Geovu
Profile Blog Joined November 2010
Estonia1344 Posts
April 27 2011 01:33 GMT
#1
In a recent Day[9] Daily (292), Sean mentions something about a his thesis. From out his lips come the word "Baxter Permutation". Being the good netizen I am I instantly google it as I have never heard of such a thing before. Unfortunately there is no Wikipedia article, so I am basically boned in terms of understanding wtf this is.

Here is the text you find from the first link if you google it ( http://arxiv.org/abs/0805.4180 ) :

Abstract: We present a simple bijection between Baxter permutations of size $n$ and plane bipolar orientations with n edges. This bijection translates several classical parameters of permutations (number of ascents, right-to-left maxima, left-to-right minima...) into natural parameters of plane bipolar orientations (number of vertices, degree of the sink, degree of the source...), and has remarkable symmetry properties. By specializing it to Baxter permutations avoiding the pattern 2413, we obtain a bijection with non-separable planar maps. A further specialization yields a bijection between permutations avoiding 2413 and 3142 and series-parallel maps.


...


...






...


Can someone please translate this into English please? Clearly the person who wrote that paragraph is much smarter than me because that piece of text has a higher ratio of (Bullshit words I can't understand) to (Real words that I understand) than if I were to read something in French or German.

Alternatively if no one knows what a Baxter Permutation, at least tell me what it is used for and what field of science it is used in, so I can know to stay the fuck away from that field when I get into university.

Oracle
Profile Blog Joined May 2007
Canada411 Posts
Last Edited: 2011-04-27 01:41:59
April 27 2011 01:40 GMT
#2
bijection is a one-to-one and onto mapping from set a to set b
permutation is amount of ways re-arranging a set of objects
edges are lines connecting vertices in graph theory
vertices are nodes

i dont know what a baxter permutation is, but that passage is most likely extremal graph theory


(the article does in no way explain what a baxter permutation is btw, but is most likely a subset of permutations)
Redmark
Profile Joined March 2010
Canada2129 Posts
Last Edited: 2011-04-27 01:40:51
April 27 2011 01:40 GMT
#3
I don't actually know much math but that looks like discrete mathematics. Graphs and sets and such.
Really there's a lot of stuff in every field that looks really esoteric to laymen. I can read something about theology and wtf for hours.
d3_crescentia
Profile Blog Joined May 2009
United States4054 Posts
Last Edited: 2011-04-27 01:46:23
April 27 2011 01:42 GMT
#4
You might want to check out his undergrad senior thesis in math here:

http://www.math.hmc.edu/seniorthesis/archives/2008/splott/splott-2008-thesis.pdf
once, not long ago, there was a moon here
Kon-Tiki
Profile Joined February 2011
United States402 Posts
April 27 2011 01:48 GMT
#5
On April 27 2011 10:42 d3_crescentia wrote:
You might want to check out his undergrad senior thesis in math here:

http://www.math.hmc.edu/seniorthesis/archives/2008/splott/splott-2008-thesis.pdf


The best part of this is that the url mashed "S. Plott" to "splott", which is an awesome word.
I am a leaf on the wind. Watch how I soar.
Jayme
Profile Blog Joined February 2009
United States5866 Posts
April 27 2011 01:49 GMT
#6
It's abstract mathematics.

Don't touch that field unless you really love math because it will mind fuck you.
Python is garbage, number 1 advocate of getting rid of it.
munchmunch
Profile Joined October 2010
Canada789 Posts
Last Edited: 2011-04-27 06:10:26
April 27 2011 02:09 GMT
#7
It's actually not hard to understand. There are several ways to think of permutations, but in this case you can think of a permutation as a list of numbers from 1 to n, with each number occurring exactly once.

For example, when n=3 there are 6 permutations:
1 2 3
1 3 2
2 1 3
2 3 1
3 1 2
3 2 1

Now, what is a Baxter permutation? Basically it is a permutation that avoids a certain pattern. So if you look at the list of numbers and see

... a ... b c ... d ...

such that c < a < d < b then the permutation is not Baxter. (Note that there can be numbers in between a and b and between c and d, but b and c must be adjacent). The other pattern to be avoided is b < d < c < a.

As to why they are useful, I can't say without more reading.

Examples:

2 4 1 3 and
4 1 3 2

are NOT Baxter permutations, but all other permutations with length 4 are Baxter permutations.

Disclaimer: could easily be a mistake here, since I haven't encountered these before.

Edit: see correction by ]343[ below.
emperorchampion
Profile Blog Joined December 2008
Canada9496 Posts
April 27 2011 02:23 GMT
#8
I can read it, but I don't really understand what is going on. What munchmunch wrote definitely makes sense, hopefully Sean will come in and clear anything else up.

The only other thing to say is that his thesis is very kinky :p
TRUEESPORTS || your days as a respected member of team liquid are over
jodogohoo
Profile Blog Joined March 2008
Canada2533 Posts
April 27 2011 03:16 GMT
#9
Baxter permutation is before killer started to replace Jaedong as the Zerg Ace for Hwaseung Oz.
emperorchampion
Profile Blog Joined December 2008
Canada9496 Posts
April 27 2011 03:53 GMT
#10
On April 27 2011 12:16 jodogohoo wrote:
Baxter permutation is before killer started to replace Jaedong as the Zerg Ace for Hwaseung Oz.


Hahaha too true!
TRUEESPORTS || your days as a respected member of team liquid are over
]343[
Profile Blog Joined May 2008
United States10328 Posts
April 27 2011 04:02 GMT
#11
On April 27 2011 11:09 munchmunch wrote:
It's actually not hard to understand. There are several ways to think of permutations, but in this case you can think of a permutation as a list of numbers from 1 to n, with each number occurring exactly once.

For example, when n=3 there are 6 permutations:
1 2 3
1 3 2
2 1 3
2 3 1
3 1 2
3 2 1

Now, what is a Baxter permutation? Basically it is a permutation that avoids a certain pattern. So if you look at the list of numbers and see

... a ... b c ... d ...

such that c < a < d < b then the permutation is not Baxter. (Note that there can be numbers in between a and b and between c and d, but b and c must be adjacent). The other pattern to be avoided is b < d < c < a.

As to why they are useful, I can't say without more reading.

Examples:

2 4 1 3 and
4 1 3 2

are NOT Baxter permutations, but all other permutations with length 4 are Baxter permutations.

Disclaimer: could easily be a mistake here, since I haven't encountered these before.


Hmm, I think it says 3 1 4 2 and 2 4 1 3 are not Baxter permutations (yeah, that sounds right, since the inequalities they give are exactly opposite each other.)

A permutation is a rearrangement of an ordered set. What munchmunch says is right, but they try to avoid c < a < d < b and b < d < a < c (just a misreading by him )

So apparently in an amusing coincidence, two different, unrelated people with surname Baxter discovered two different things that could be counted by a certain big expression: Baxter permutations, and plane bipolar maps.

Plane bipolar maps are pretty much a set of points in the plane connected by arrows (directed lines, not necessarily straight) with a certain set of properties (if you start anywhere and follow arrows, you can't get back to where you started; and there are two points on the "outside" of the diagram, one that only has arrows going out, and one that only has arrows going in.)

If we introduce a few more restrictions, and count the number of such maps with a certain number of points/arrows, we can find a one-to-one correspondence to the number of Baxter permutations with certain properties.

This is probably classified as discrete math -> combinatorics -> graph theory / algebraic combinatorics. Looks similar to one of my classes
Writer
munchmunch
Profile Joined October 2010
Canada789 Posts
April 27 2011 06:09 GMT
#12
On April 27 2011 13:02 ]343[ wrote:
Hmm, I think it says 3 1 4 2 and 2 4 1 3 are not Baxter permutations (yeah, that sounds right, since the inequalities they give are exactly opposite each other.)

A permutation is a rearrangement of an ordered set. What munchmunch says is right, but they try to avoid c < a < d < b and b < d < a < c (just a misreading by him )


I think you're right, thanks for the correction.
AzashaRa
Profile Joined February 2011
United States10 Posts
June 19 2011 18:15 GMT
#13
The things Team Liquid has to offer never seize to amaze me. I put my friend to sleep reading this to him. Thank you TL! :D
]343[
Profile Blog Joined May 2008
United States10328 Posts
June 19 2011 21:45 GMT
#14
pretending to know math: a useful talent toi have
Writer
Please log in or register to reply.
Live Events Refresh
WardiTV Korean Royale
15:00
Group B Final Games
ByuN vs herO
ByuN vs Classic
WardiTV1058
Liquipedia
[ Submit Event ]
Live Streams
Refresh
StarCraft 2
BRAT_OK 78
RushiSC 20
StarCraft: Brood War
Britney 25481
Rain 3680
Bisu 1021
Mini 987
Shuttle 681
EffOrt 561
BeSt 251
firebathero 186
Soulkey 164
Hyun 154
[ Show more ]
soO 146
Dewaltoss 114
hero 102
Backho 91
Snow 81
Sea.KH 42
ToSsGirL 31
scan(afreeca) 17
Mong 15
IntoTheRainbow 13
Dota 2
Gorgc6090
singsing3232
syndereN224
XcaliburYe164
Counter-Strike
byalli4943
markeloff163
oskar79
edward75
Other Games
FrodaN1602
B2W.Neo1279
hiko917
DeMusliM389
crisheroes335
Fuzer 280
RotterdaM243
Hui .195
KnowMe149
mouzStarbuck143
ArmadaUGS128
Mew2King88
XaKoH 73
Trikslyr33
MindelVK14
Organizations
Dota 2
PGL Dota 2 - Main Stream154
Other Games
BasetradeTV75
StarCraft: Brood War
Kim Chul Min (afreeca) 15
StarCraft 2
Blizzard YouTube
StarCraft: Brood War
BSLTrovo
sctven
[ Show 17 non-featured ]
StarCraft 2
• poizon28 5
• IndyKCrew
• Migwel
• AfreecaTV YouTube
• sooper7s
• intothetv
• Kozan
• LaughNgamezSOOP
StarCraft: Brood War
• HerbMon 26
• STPLYoutube
• ZZZeroYoutube
• BSLYoutube
Dota 2
• Ler117
• Noizen43
League of Legends
• TFBlade1791
Other Games
• WagamamaTV363
• Shiphtur60
Upcoming Events
OSC
14m
LAN Event
1h 14m
Replay Cast
6h 14m
Replay Cast
16h 14m
WardiTV Korean Royale
19h 14m
Sparkling Tuna Cup
1d 17h
WardiTV Korean Royale
1d 19h
Replay Cast
2 days
Wardi Open
2 days
Monday Night Weeklies
3 days
[ Show More ]
StarCraft2.fi
3 days
Replay Cast
3 days
Wardi Open
3 days
StarCraft2.fi
4 days
Wardi Open
4 days
StarCraft2.fi
5 days
Replay Cast
5 days
The PondCast
5 days
Replay Cast
6 days
Liquipedia Results

Completed

SOOP Univ League 2025
RSL Revival: Season 3
Eternal Conflict S1

Ongoing

C-Race Season 1
IPSL Winter 2025-26
KCM Race Survival 2025 Season 4
YSL S2
BSL Season 21
CSCL: Masked Kings S3
Slon Tour Season 2
META Madness #9
SL Budapest Major 2025
ESL Impact League Season 8
BLAST Rivals Fall 2025
IEM Chengdu 2025
PGL Masters Bucharest 2025
Thunderpick World Champ.
CS Asia Championships 2025
ESL Pro League S22
StarSeries Fall 2025
FISSURE Playground #2

Upcoming

BSL 21 Non-Korean Championship
Acropolis #4
IPSL Spring 2026
Bellum Gens Elite Stara Zagora 2026
HSC XXVIII
RSL Offline Finals
WardiTV 2025
PGL Cluj-Napoca 2026
IEM Kraków 2026
BLAST Bounty Winter 2026
BLAST Bounty Winter 2026: Closed Qualifier
eXTREMESLAND 2025
TLPD

1. ByuN
2. TY
3. Dark
4. Solar
5. Stats
6. Nerchio
7. sOs
8. soO
9. INnoVation
10. Elazer
1. Rain
2. Flash
3. EffOrt
4. Last
5. Bisu
6. Soulkey
7. Mini
8. Sharp
Sidebar Settings...

Advertising | Privacy Policy | Terms Of Use | Contact Us

Original banner artwork: Jim Warren
The contents of this webpage are copyright © 2025 TLnet. All Rights Reserved.