By changing the order would it change the answer? r-combinations

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In summary, the conversation discusses a problem involving creating 4-tuples and 5-tuples of integers in increasing and decreasing order. The formula for finding the number of r-combinations with repetition allowed is mentioned and it is stated that the order does not affect the answer. The conversation also includes a link to an image with the answer to problem #5.
  • #1
mr_coffee
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Hello everyone.

The book gave an example of the following problem:

#5. If n is a positve integer, how many 4-tuples of integers from 1 through n can be formed in which the elemnets of the 4-tuple are wirtten in increasing order but are not necessarily distinct? In other words, how many 4-tuples of integers (i, j, k, m) are there with 1 <= i <= j <= k <= m <= n?

Using the following formula:
The number of r-combinations with repetition allowed (multisets of size r) that can be selected form a set of n elements is

(r + n -1)
( r )

This equals the number of ways r objects can be selected from n categories of objects with reptition allowed.


The answer is on the following image marked #5.

http://suprfile.com/src/1/411mnhi/lastscan.jpg


The problem I'm doing is marked #6. The only difference in the problem is now they want to know how many 5-tuples of integers from 1 through n, wirtten in DECREASING order. In other words, how many 5-tuples of integers (h, i, j, k, m) are there with n >= h >= i >= j >= k >= m >= 1?

I would assume it would be the same format, let r = 5 instead of 4 is the only change I would think would be made. Because I thought order doesn't matter, so even if they say accessending or decending would it change the formula?

Thanks~
 
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  • #2
No, the order should not change the answer.

Think about it like this. If you go back to problem number 5, and now flip the order around (meaning that you take every (i,j,k,l) and change it into (l,k,j,i) you will then have decreasing numbers, but you will have the exact same amount since you are not really doing anything but looking at the same thing backwards.
 
  • #3
THanks for the help matt!
 

FAQ: By changing the order would it change the answer? r-combinations

1. What is an r-combination?

An r-combination is a combination of objects or elements taken from a larger set, where the order of the objects does not matter. For example, if we have the set {a, b, c} and we want to select 2 elements, we can have the following r-combinations: {a, b}, {a, c}, {b, c}. Notice that the order of the elements does not change the combination.

2. How is an r-combination different from an r-permutation?

An r-permutation is a selection of objects or elements from a larger set, where the order of the objects does matter. Using the same example as above, if we have the set {a, b, c} and we want to select 2 elements, we can have the following r-permutations: {a, b}, {a, c}, {b, a}, {b, c}, {c, a}, {c, b}. Notice that the order of the elements changes the permutation.

3. Can changing the order of an r-combination change the answer?

No, changing the order of the elements in an r-combination does not change the answer. This is because the order does not matter in a combination, so rearranging the elements will still result in the same combination.

4. How do I calculate the number of r-combinations in a set?

The formula for calculating the number of r-combinations in a set is nCr = n! / (r!(n-r)!), where n is the total number of elements in the set and r is the number of elements we want to select. For example, if we have a set of 6 elements and we want to select 3 elements, the number of r-combinations would be 6C3 = 6! / (3!(6-3)!) = 20.

5. What is the significance of r-combinations in mathematics?

R-combinations have many applications in mathematics, including in probability and statistics, combinatorics, and number theory. They are also used in various fields such as computer science, physics, and economics. R-combinations help us to analyze and understand the relationships and patterns within a set of objects or elements.

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