MHB How many different research teams can the director build?

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The discussion revolves around calculating the number of research teams a director can form from 6 mathematicians and 7 physicists, with the stipulation that 2 specific physicists refuse to cooperate. The initial approach suggested using combinations, but the participants clarified that teams cannot include both non-cooperative physicists. The correct calculation involves determining the total combinations of teams and subtracting the combinations that include both non-cooperative physicists. Ultimately, the conclusion reached is that the director can form 500 valid research teams by multiplying the number of acceptable physicist combinations by the combinations of mathematicians.
evinda
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Hello! :rolleyes:

I am given the following exercise:

The director of a research institute has in possession $6$ mathematicians and $7$ physicists.A research program requires the participation of $3$ mathematicians and $4$ physicists.How many different research teams can the director build,given that $2$ specific physicists deny to cooperate?

I thought that it could be like that: $\binom{6}{3} \cdot \binom{7-2}{4}$
Is it right or am I wrong? :confused:
 
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evinda said:
The director of a research institute has in possession $6$ mathematicians and $7$ physicists.A research program requires the participation of $3$ mathematicians and $4$ physicists.How many different research teams can the director build,given that $2$ specific physicists deny to cooperate?
I thought that it could be like that: $\binom{6}{3} \cdot \binom{7-2}{4}$
Is it right or am I wrong? :confused:

With no restrictions at all there are $\dbinom{6}{3}\dbinom{7}{4}$ ways to form the group.

Now that are $\dbinom{6}{3}\dbinom{5}{2}$ ways to form the group with the two non-cooperative physicists together on it. But that is exactly what we must avoid.

How do we use those two to answer the question?
 
evinda said:
Hello! :rolleyes:

I am given the following exercise:

The director of a research institute has in possession $6$ mathematicians and $7$ physicists.A research program requires the participation of $3$ mathematicians and $4$ physicists.How many different research teams can the director build,given that $2$ specific physicists deny to cooperate?

I thought that it could be like that: $\binom{6}{3} \cdot \binom{7-2}{4}$
Is it right or am I wrong? :confused:

Hey! :)

It seems you don't want either of those 2 physicists on your team! (Wait)
But I think it would be okay if you just have 1 of those physicists in the team...
 
I like Serena said:
Hey! :)

It seems you don't want either of those 2 physicists on your team! (Wait)
But I think it would be okay if you just have 1 of those physicists in the team...

Oh yes,right! (Nod) But how can I calculate then the number of physicists that could be in a team?? :confused:

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Plato said:
Now that are $\dbinom{6}{3}\dbinom{5}{2}$ ways to form the group with the two non-cooperative physicists together on it. But that is exactly what we must avoid.
Could you explain me further what this $\dbinom{6}{3}\dbinom{5}{2}$ stands for? (Wondering)
 
evinda said:
Oh yes,right! (Nod) But how can I calculate then the number of physicists that could be in a team?? :confused:

Let's start with the number of physicist teams that won't work out if those 2 physicists, that are so difficult, would be in it.
Can you calculate that?
 
evinda said:
Oh yes,right! (Nod) But how can I calculate then the number of physicists that could be in a team?? :confused:

- - - Updated - - -

Could you explain me further what this $\dbinom{6}{3}\dbinom{5}{2}$ stands for?

$\dbinom{6}{3}$ is the number of ways to choose the mathematicians.

$\dbinom{5}{2}$ is the number of ways to choose the two of the of the five cooperating physicists to put with the two who will not cooperate.

In other words $\dbinom{6}{3}\dbinom{5}{2}$ is the number of team we do not want.

Subtract that from the total number of possible teams.
 
I like Serena said:
Let's start with the number of physicist teams that won't work out if those 2 physicists, that are so difficult, would be in it.
Can you calculate that?

As two physicists don't want to cooperate, we don't want $\binom{5}{2}$ physicists,or don't we take into consideration then that two specific don't want to cooperate?? :confused:

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Plato said:
$\dbinom{6}{3}$ is the number of ways to choose the mathematicians.

$\dbinom{5}{2}$ is the number of ways to choose the two of the of the five cooperating physicists to put with the two who will not cooperate.

In other words $\dbinom{6}{3}\dbinom{5}{2}$ is the number of team we do not want.

Subtract that from the total number of possible teams.

So, $\dbinom{5}{2}$ expresses the two specific physicists,that don't want to cooperate,or just any two ones?
 
evinda said:
As two physicists don't want to cooperate, we don't want $\binom{5}{2}$ physicists,or don't we take into consideration then that two specific don't want to cooperate?? :confused:

Let's take into consideration that 2 specific ones, say Anna and Berta, do not want to cooperate.
 
I like Serena said:
Let's take into consideration that 2 specific ones, say Anna and Berta, do not want to cooperate.

I don't really know...So, $\binom{7}{4}-\binom{4}{2}$ physicists are possible to me in a team?? :confused:
 
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  • #10
evinda said:
I don't really know...So, $\binom{7}{4}-\binom{4}{2}$ physicists are possible to me in a team?? :confused:

O.K. Admittedly we are making several assumptions about the setup (the wording) of your question.
Both of us assume that there are two physicists who will not serve together, call them A & B.
That means that any research group cannot have both A & B among the seven.
Now a group can have A but not B, B but not A, or not A and not B.

The number of ways that a research group can contain A and not B is $\dbinom{6}{3}\dbinom{5}{3}.$

The number of ways that a research group can contain B and not A is $\dbinom{6}{3}\dbinom{5}{3}.$

The number of ways that a research group can contain not A and not B is $\dbinom{6}{3}\dbinom{5}{4}.$

If you add those three numbers together you will see it is $\dbinom{6}{3}\dbinom{7}{4}-\dbinom{6}{3}\dbinom{5}{2}$
 
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  • #11
evinda said:
So, $\dbinom{5}{2}$ expresses the two specific physicists,that don't want to cooperate,or just any two ones?

The number $\dbinom{7-2}{2} = \dbinom{5}{2}$ expresses any 2 physicists that are not the 2 specific physicists.
That is, we pick 2 physicists from the remaining 5 and we pair them up with A and B, so we have a team of 4 physicists.
 
  • #12
I like Serena said:
The number $\dbinom{7-2}{2} = \dbinom{5}{2}$ expresses any 2 physicists that are not the 2 specific physicists.
That is, we pick 2 physicists from the remaining 5 and we pair them up with A and B, so we have a team of 4 physicists.

I like Serena said:
The number $\dbinom{7-2}{2} = \dbinom{5}{2}$ expresses any 2 physicists that are not the 2 specific physicists.
That is, we pick 2 physicists from the remaining 5 and we pair them up with A and B, so we have a team of 4 physicists.

If we consider that the physicists are these:

$P1,P2,P3,P4,P5,P6,P7$

and $P6,P7$ don't want to cooperate, aren't the couples, except from $P6 \text{ with} P7$ these?
  • P1-P2
  • P1-P3
  • P1-P4
  • P1-P5
  • P1-P6
  • P1-P7
  • P2-P3
  • P2-P3
  • P2-P4
  • P2-P5
  • P2-P6
  • P2-P7
  • P3-P4
  • P3-P5
  • P3-P6
  • P3-P7
  • P4-P5
  • P4-P6
  • P4-P7
  • P5-P6
  • P5-P7

So,there are $20$ possible couples...But, $ \dbinom{5}{2}=\frac{5!}{2!3!}=10$..Doesn't $ \dbinom{5}{2}$ stand for the possible couples,except from the two,that do not want to cooperate? Or have I understood it wrong?? :confused: (Blush)
 
  • #13
We intended the number of teams that won't work out:
  1. P1-P2-P6-P7
  2. P1-P3-P6-P7
  3. P1-P4-P6-P7
  4. P1-P5-P6-P7
  5. P2-P3-P6-P7
  6. P2-P4-P6-P7
  7. P2-P5-P6-P7
  8. P3-P4-P6-P7
  9. P3-P5-P6-P7
  10. P4-P5-P6-P7

As you can see these are $\dbinom{5}{2}=10$ possibilities that always include $P6-P7$. (Bandit)

Since the total number of physicist teams is $\dbinom{7}{4}$, the number of allowed teams is:
$$\dbinom{7}{4} - \dbinom{5}{2} = 35 - 10 = 25$$
(Sun)
 
  • #14
I like Serena said:
We intended the number of teams that won't work out:
  1. P1-P2-P6-P7
  2. P1-P3-P6-P7
  3. P1-P4-P6-P7
  4. P1-P5-P6-P7
  5. P2-P3-P6-P7
  6. P2-P4-P6-P7
  7. P2-P5-P6-P7
  8. P3-P4-P6-P7
  9. P3-P5-P6-P7
  10. P4-P5-P6-P7

As you can see these are $\dbinom{5}{2}=10$ possibilities that always include $P6-P7$. (Bandit)

Since the total number of physicist teams is $\dbinom{7}{4}$, the number of allowed teams is:
$$\dbinom{7}{4} - \dbinom{5}{2} = 35 - 10 = 25$$
(Sun)

I think I understood it! So,the director can build $25 \cdot 20=500$ research teams,right? :confused:
 
  • #15
evinda said:
I think I understood it! So,the director can build $25 \cdot 20=500$ research teams,right? :confused:

Yep! (Mmm)
 
  • #16
Plato said:
O.K. Admittedly we are making several assumptions about the setup (the wording) of your question.
Both of us assume that there are two physicists who will not serve together, call them A & B.
That means that any research group cannot have both A & B among the seven.
Now a group can have A but not B, B but not A, or not A and not B.

The number of ways that a research group can contain A and not B is $\dbinom{6}{3}\dbinom{5}{3}.$

The number of ways that a research group can contain B and not A is $\dbinom{6}{3}\dbinom{5}{3}.$

The number of ways that a research group can contain not A and not B is $\dbinom{6}{3}\dbinom{5}{4}.$

If you add those three numbers together you will see it is $\dbinom{6}{3}\dbinom{7}{4}-\dbinom{6}{3}\dbinom{5}{2}$

I like Serena said:
Yep! (Mmm)
Nice,thank you! :rolleyes:
 
  • #17
I like to think of the 2 physicists as a separate group. The options are taking neither of these 2, or taking one. So the number of possible teams is $6C3.5C4+6C3.5C3.2C1$, the first term corresponding to taking neither of the two refusers, the second term corresponding to taking (exactly) 1.
 
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