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Distributing Balls into Boxes
Basics Concepts and Formulas Distributing Balls into Boxes
(Permutations and Combinations)
Here, we are dealing with the number of ways of distributing k balls into n boxes under various conditions.
Useful Relations
(Permutations and Combinations)
The conditions that are generally asked are given below
More Concepts and Formulas
(Permutations)
1. The balls are either distinct or identical.
Permutations under Restrictions
More Concepts and Formulas 2. The boxes are either distinct or identical.
(Combinations)
3. No box can contain more than one ball or Any box may contain more than one ball.
Combinations under Restrictions
4. No box can be empty or any box can be empty.
Division and Distribution of
Objects
Distributing Balls into Boxes This is an area which many students choose to ignore. However these concepts will help us in solving many
advanced problems in combinatorics and permutations and combinations.
Counting Integral Solutions
More Formulas We can use the principles of permutations and combinations to deal with problems of distributing balls into
(Permutations and Combinations) boxes.
Geometrical Figures
The concept of identical boxes are more complicated and generally studied in detail in combinatorics.
(Permutations and Combinations)
Solved Examples Set 1 The below table explains the number of ways in which k balls can be distributed into n boxes under
various conditions.
Solved Examples Set 2
All the below mentioned cases are derived under the assumption that the order in which the balls are placed
Solved Examples Set 3 into the boxes is not important. (i.e., if a box has many balls, the order of the balls inside the box is not
Solved Examples Set 4 important).
Solved Examples Set 5
Distribution of How many balls boxes can contain
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≤ 1
Math into n ≥ 1 = 1
k Balls No Restrictions (At most
Symbols Boxes (At least one) (Exactly one)
one)
S(k,n) × n! nP
nP n = n! if k = n
nk k
Distinct Distinct (formula 3)
0 if k ≠ n
(formula 1) (formula 2) (See more details
below) (formula 4)
S(k,n) Stirling number of the second kind and can be defined as
1 n−1
S(k,n) = ∑ (−1) i n Ci (n − i) k
n! i=0
1
= [n (n − 0 ) k − n C1 (n − 1 ) k + n C2 (n − 2 ) k + ⋯ + (−1) n−1 n Cn−1 (1 ) k ]
n! C0
Special Cases :
S(0,0) = 1,
S(k,0) = 0 for k ≥ 1
S(k,n) = 0 for k < n
P(k,n) = The number of partitions of the integer k into n parts.
Formula for P(k,n) is much harder than that of S(k, n). The following example will explain how we can find
the value of P(k,n).
What is the value of P(6,3) ?
The partitions of 6 into 3 parts are
4 + 1 + 1
3 + 2 + 1
2 + 2 + 2
(Note that 4 + 1 + 1 ,1 + 4 + 1, and 1 + 1 + 4. all are same. Similarly we need to consider all other cases as
well)
Hence the number of partitions of 6 into 3 parts are = 3
=> P(6,3) = 3
What is the value of P(6,2) ?
The partitions of 6 into 2 parts are
1 + 5
2 + 4
3 + 3
Hence the number of partitions of 6 into 2 parts are = 3
=> P(6,2) = 3
What is the value of P(6,1) ?
Here, we count the number of partitions of 6 into 1 part.
Clearly the number of such partitions = 1
=> P(6,1) = 1
Now try to find out the value of P(6,4)
The partitions of 6 into 4 parts are
1 + 1 + 1 + 3
1 + 2 + 2 + 2
Hence the number of partitions of 6 into 4 parts are = 2
=> P(6,4) = 2
Special Cases: P(0, 0) = P(k, k) = P(k, k1) = P(k, 1) = 1
Comments(1) Newest
suresh 09 Jul 2013 3:12 AM
nice
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