Having some trouble with this combinatorics problem

  • Context: Undergrad 
  • Thread starter Thread starter Calabi_Yau
  • Start date Start date
  • Tags Tags
    Combinatorics
Join the discussion
Registration is free. Ask a follow-up in this thread, or start your own.
3 replies · 2K views
Calabi_Yau
Messages
35
Reaction score
1
6 friends go to a party, each one carrying a different umbrella. They place the umbrellas outside. When the party is over, they are drunk and each one grabs an umbrella at random.
In how many ways could none of them have taken the right umbrella?

I'm having a bit trouble with this, as I can't seem to solve it without having to do some rough counting some times. Can any of you bother to solve this and explain it to me?
 
Physics news on Phys.org
You are asking about the number of derangments Sn of a set with n elements. If you are looking for an exact answer, you can either use the recurrence relation Sn+1=n(Sn+Sn-1), or compute the alternating sum Ʃ(-1)in!/i! where i goes from 0 to n.