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Counting
An Overview
• Counting Formulas
Kits, cats, sacks, wives
How many were going to St. Ives?
• The Binomial Theorem.
• Partitions
• Solutions
Lists
Can be Counted Easily
343 × 7 = 2401 kits. Example: License Plates. A license plate has the
form LM N xyz, where
Total = 2800.
L, M, N ∈ {A, B, · · · , Z},
x, y, z ∈ {0, 1, · · · , 9}
For Two: If there are m choices for x and then n A permutation of length r is a list
choices for y, then there are m × n choices for (x1 , · · · , xr ) with distinct components (no
(x, y). repetition); that is, xi 6= xj when i 6= j.
For Several: If there are ni choices for xi , Examples. (1, 2, 3) is a permutation of three
i = 1, · · · , r, then there are elements; (1, 2, 1) is a list, but not a permutation
n1 × n 2 × · · · × n r
Counting Formulas. From n objects,
choices for (x1 , · · · , xr ).
nr = n × · · · × n (r factors)
3
Example. There are 7 = 7 × 7 × 7 = 343 choices
for (wife, sack, cat). lists of length r and
license plates. Of these Examples: There are 103 = 1000 three digit
26 × 25 × 24 × 10 × 9 × 8 = 11, 232, 000 numbers of which (10)3 = 10 × 9 × 8 = 720 list
distinct digits.
have distinct letters and digits (no repetition).
(n)r = n × (n − 1) × · · · × (n − r + 1) Examples
Binomial Coefficients
Alternatively:
n n! Binomial Identities
= .
r r!(n − r)!
Recall:
The Binomial Theorem: For all n
−∞ < x, y < ∞, n
X n r n−r
(x + y) = x y .
n r=0
r
n
X n r n−r
(x + y) = x y .
r=0
r
Examples -a). Setting x = y = 1,
Example. When n = 3, Xn
n
= 2n .
(x + y)3 = x3 + 3x2 y + 3xy 2 + y 3 . r=0
r
A General Formula
Combinatorics
If n and r are positive integers, then there are Summary
n+r−1
n+r−1
= • Lists, permuatations, and combinations.
r−1 n
integer solutios to • The Basic Principle
n1 , · · · , n r ≥ 0 • Counting Formulas
n1 + · · · + nr = n.
Lists nr
If n ≥ r, then there are
Permuations (n)r
n−1
Combinations nr
r−1
n
solutions with Partitions n1 ,··· ,nr
ni ≥ 1 Solutions n+r−1
r−1
for i = 1, · · · , r.