Checking Basic Combinatorics Homework - 8 Cooks & 4 Restaurants

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Homework Help Overview

The discussion revolves around a combinatorics problem involving the distribution of 8 cooks among 4 restaurants, as well as pairing cooks and distributing identical bowls. The original poster seeks verification of their answers to several parts of the problem.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory, Assumption checking, Conceptual clarification

Approaches and Questions Raised

  • The original poster attempts to calculate the number of ways to distribute cooks and bowls, presenting various combinatorial expressions. Some participants question the assumptions regarding whether restaurants can have no cooks and the correctness of the original poster's calculations.

Discussion Status

Some participants have confirmed the correctness of the original poster's answers for certain parts, while others have raised concerns about specific calculations and interpretations. There is ongoing exploration of the implications of the assumptions made in the problem setup.

Contextual Notes

Participants note potential ambiguity in the problem regarding whether restaurants can have no cooks, which affects the interpretation of the solutions. Additionally, there is mention of a possible missing question in the original post.

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Homework Statement



Here is some basic combinatorics, I need someone to check it for me, please before the lecturer :)
Sorry for the stupid questions, hope I've made myself clear with the explanations of the answers given.


(1)(a) If 8 cooks are to be divided among 4 restaurants, how many divisions are possible?
(b) What if each restaurant must receive precisely 2 cooks?
(c) How many possible ways we can pair these 8 cooks up among themselves?
(d) How many possible ways we can distribute 8 identical bowls into the 4 restaurants?


Homework Equations





The Attempt at a Solution


a) is it 4^8?

b) for the first restaurant we have (8 2) and for the next 3 we have to decrease 2 cooks so we have (8 2) * (6 2) * (4 2) * (2 1)

c) 8! ?

d) V 4 8 = 1680?

2
a) S = {E,F}
b)E={head}
c)F={heads>tails}
d)E U F ={head,tail}
e)E n F
f)(E U F)c = {tails>heads} ? isn't it the De Morgan's where EcF = (E U F)c?
g)= {tails>heads}
h) impossible? like logic's (0 and 1) and 1 = 0?

Thank you !
 
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Your answers to 1a and 1b are correct - assuming that it is okay for a restaurant to have no cooks.
1c is the same as 1b - because I doubt that they mean to make copies of the cooks.
I'm getting 165 for 1d.
 
1c is not the same as 1b, because once you've paired up the cooks there are a couple different ways you can put each pair in a restaurant (and that should be enough to figure out what the correct solution is).
 
.Scott said:
Your answers to 1a and 1b are correct - assuming that it is okay for a restaurant to have no cooks.
i would have guessed it is not ok for a restaurant to have no cooks, but I agree it is unclear.
The answer to 1b in the OP is incorrect. Why is the final factor (2 1) when all the others are (n 2)?

1d is an interesting question. The easiest is to imagine the 8 bowls set out in a line and you have to place three partitions in the line. Those to the left of the first partition go to the first retaurant, etc. The next step is to realize that 8 bowls and 3 partitions make 11 things, of which any 3 can be partitions. can you get it from there?

There seems to be a second question missing in the OP. Anyway, it's better to put it in a separate thread.
 

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