Schubert polynomials for the classical groups

Introduction The task of a theory of Schubert polynomials is to produce explicit representatives for Schubert classes in the cohomology ring of a flag variety, and to do so in a manner that is as natural as possible from a combinatorial point of view. To explain more fully, let us review a special case, the Schubert calculus for Grassmannians, where one asks for the number of linear spaces of given dimension satisfying certain geometric conditions. A typical problem is to find the number of lines meeting four given lines in general position in 3-space (answer below). For each of the four given lines, the set of lines meeting it is a Schubert variety in the Grassmannian and we want the number of intersection points of these four subvarieties. In the modern solution of this problem, the Schubert varieties induce canonical elements of the cohomology ring of the Grassmannian, called Schubert classes. The product of these Schubert classes is the class of a point times the number of inter