Abstract
We formalize basics of Combinatorics on Words. This is an extension of
existing theories on lists. We provide additional properties related
to prefix, suffix, factor, length and rotation. The topics include
prefix and suffix comparability, mismatch, word power, total and
reversed morphisms, border, periods, primitivity and roots. We also
formalize basic, mostly folklore results related to word equations:
equidivisibility, commutation and conjugation. Slightly advanced
properties include the Periodicity lemma (often cited as the Fine and
Wilf theorem) and the variant of the Lyndon-Schützenberger theorem for
words. We support the algebraic point of view which sees words as
generators of submonoids of a free monoid. This leads to the concepts
of the (free) hull, the (free) basis (or code).
BSD License