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The counting principles

Product rule, sum rule, permutations, combinations, and when each applies.

Independent choices multiply; exclusive alternatives add. Ordered selections are permutations, unordered are combinations. Picture it: a tree diagram, each level a choice, each leaf an outcome. Think it: every counting formula is a bijection with something easy to count.

Isibonelo esisebenza · 5 choose 2

Discrete-Math · Counting

5 choose 2

5,\ 2

Isigaba

  1. \binom{5}{2} = \frac{5!}{2!\,(5-2)!}

    Unordered selections: n! / (k! (n−k)!).

  2. = \frac{120}{2 \times 6} = 10

Bonisa impendulo
\binom{5}{2} = 10

Manje Khetha izinkinga, noma ubhale noma udwebe zakho. Isigaba ngasinye, isithombe, impendulo ifihlakele kuze kube ubuza.

Qhubeka usebenza

I-akhawunti emahhala ifaka iziphawulo kulesifundo ngasinye, irekhodi lokuthi yini oqedile, izinkinga zakho ezixazululiwe endaweni eyodwa, nodokotela owaziyo ongabuza mayelana nalekhasi. I-matematics ivulekile kubo bonke, noma ngabe babhalise noma cha.

Bhala Ngena

Amaphawu asetshenziswa lapha

Chofoza noma yiluphi uphawu lwesibonakaliso ukuze uthole ukuchaza okuphelele, isithombe, kanye nokuthi iyiphi inhlamvu ekhona ekhuluma ngaso.

Indlela: The counting principles

  1. Decide whether order matters (permutation) or not (combination).
  2. Decide whether repetition is allowed.
  3. Break the count into independent stages (multiply) or exclusive cases (add).
  4. Sanity-check with a tiny case you can list by hand.

Imibuzo abantu bebuza

Permutation or combination?

Ask whether order matters. A lock code is a permutation (order matters); a hand of cards is a combination (it does not).

What is a graph in this sense?

Dots (vertices) joined by lines (edges), not a plot. Road maps, social networks and molecules are graphs; questions like "is there a route" and "how few colours" are graph theory.

Okuningi Combinatorics & Graph Theory

Pigeonhole principle and inclusion, exclusionBinomial coefficients and Pascal's triangleRecurrences and generating functionsGraphs: vertices, edges, degreesPaths, cycles, trees, Euler and HamiltonColouring and planar graphs