A coin flip game and generalizations of Fibonacci numbers

We study a game in which one keeps flipping a coin until a given finite string of heads and tails occurs. We find the expected number of coin flips to end the game when the ending string consists of at most four maximal runs of heads or tails or alternates between heads and tails. This leads to some summation identities involving certain generalizations of the Fibonacci numbers.

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Publication Details

Journal
The Fibonacci Quarterly
Published
2026-08-03
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1080/00150517.2026.2676044
Primary Topic
Advanced Mathematical Theories and Applications
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00
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article

A coin flip game and generalizations of Fibonacci numbers

Jia Huang
The Fibonacci Quarterly
Advanced Mathematical Theories and Applications
article

A coin flip game and generalizations of Fibonacci numbers

Jia Huang
article en

Abstract

We study a game in which one keeps flipping a coin until a given finite string of heads and tails occurs. We find the expected number of coin flips to end the game when the ending string consists of at most four maximal runs of heads or tails or alternates between heads and tails. This leads to some summation identities involving certain generalizations of the Fibonacci numbers.

The Fibonacci Quarterly
University of Nebraska at Kearney (US)
Openalex Percentile: Top 9%
Advanced Mathematical Theories and Applications
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