How many ways to colour 20 triangular faces with 5 colours, each used 4 times?

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SUMMARY

The discussion focuses on calculating the number of ways to color 20 triangular faces using exactly 5 colors, with each color utilized 4 times. The formula provided for coloring is (1/60)*(k^20 + 15*k^10 + 20*k^8 + 24*k^4), where k represents the number of colors. To find the specific arrangement where each color is used exactly 4 times, the user applies the multinomial coefficient: (20!)/(4!·4!·4!·4!·4!). This approach ensures that all faces are treated as distinct, accounting for the different permutations of colorings.

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  • Understanding of combinatorial mathematics, specifically multinomial coefficients.
  • Familiarity with polynomial expressions and their applications in combinatorial problems.
  • Knowledge of symmetry and its impact on counting distinct arrangements.
  • Basic grasp of graph theory concepts related to vertices and edges in polyhedra.
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  • Study the application of the multinomial theorem in combinatorial problems.
  • Learn about Burnside's lemma for counting distinct colorings considering symmetries.
  • Explore advanced combinatorial techniques for partitioning sets into subsets.
  • Investigate the use of generating functions in combinatorial enumeration.
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Mathematicians, combinatorial theorists, and students studying advanced counting techniques will benefit from this discussion, particularly those interested in coloring problems and polyhedral geometry.

BrownianMan
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So I found a formula for the number of ways of coloring a shape with 20 triangular faces, 30 edges, and 12 vertices: (1/60)*(k^20+15*k^10+20*k^8+24*k^4).

Now I need to find the # of ways of coloring the faces with exactly 5 colors each with each color used exactly 4 times. I know how to find the # of ways of coloring the faces with exactly 5 colors (just plug k=5 in the formula) But the part about "each color used exactly 4 times" is throwing me off. How do I do this?
 
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How did you arrive at that formula? Maybe it can be adjusted to your new colouring problem.

Meanwhile, if you see all of the 20 faces as different (you count rotations of your object as separate colourings), you have
$$
\left( \begin{array}c 20 \\ 4 ~~ 4 ~~ 4 ~~ 4 ~~ 4 \end{array}\right) = \frac{20!}{4!\cdot4!\cdot4!\cdot4!\cdot4!}
$$
possibilities. This is similar to the number of ways you can choose ##k## objects from a set of ##n## objects, i.e. ##\binom nk = \frac{n!}{k!\cdot(n-k)!}##.
 

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