Understanding the Multinomial Coefficient and its Independence in Combinatorics

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SUMMARY

The multinomial coefficient is proven to be independent of the order in which subsets are selected when partitioning a set of size N into subsets of sizes n1, n2, ..., nk. This independence arises from the combinatorial definition of the multinomial coefficient, which counts the number of ways to partition a set without regard to the order of selection. The proof relies on the fundamental properties of combinations and the definition of the multinomial coefficient itself, confirming that the order of selection does not affect the outcome.

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  • Understanding of combinatorial principles
  • Familiarity with multinomial coefficients
  • Basic knowledge of set theory
  • Concept of partitions in mathematics
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Okay I got to wonder about this: Why is the multinomial coefficient independent of if you start by taking out n1, n2, n3 etc. or n2,n1,n3 or n3, n2, n1... etc.. I mean intuitively from actually doing the combinatorics by counting it seems obvious that the order should not matter. But can this be proved or is it taken as an axiom?
 
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Because no matter how you word it, it is the number of ways to partition a set of size N into subsets with respective sizes n1, n2, ..., nk. And there is no "ordering" of the subsets, so you interpret it in any order you like.
 

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