One of the first things you learn in mathematics is how to count. Now we want to count large collections of things quickly and precisely. For example: In a group of 10 people, if everyone shakes hands...One of the first things you learn in mathematics is how to count. Now we want to count large collections of things quickly and precisely. For example: In a group of 10 people, if everyone shakes hands with everyone else exactly once, how many handshakes took place? How many ways can you distribute 1010 girl scout cookies to 77 boy scouts? How many anagrams are there of “anagram”? Before tackling questions like these, let's look at the basics of counting.
One of the first things you learn in mathematics is how to count. Now we want to count large collections of things quickly and precisely. For example: In a group of 10 people, if everyone shakes hands...One of the first things you learn in mathematics is how to count. Now we want to count large collections of things quickly and precisely. For example: In a group of 10 people, if everyone shakes hands with everyone else exactly once, how many handshakes took place? How many ways can you distribute 1010 girl scout cookies to 77 boy scouts? How many anagrams are there of “anagram”? Before tackling questions like these, let's look at the basics of counting.