Search

0.5.3 Combinations

Given a set of n distinct items, a k combination of these items is any subset of the original set with exactly k members (where 0<k<=n). There is a formula for determining exactly how many kcombinations (subsets of size k) exist for a given set of size n:

$$\left( \begin{array}{c} n \\ k \end{array} \right) = \frac{n!}{k!(n-k)!}$$

The notation $\left( \begin{array}{c}n \\ k\end{array} \right)$ is often read ``the number of n items taken k at a time.''

However sometimes it is not enough to know how many combinations exist for a given set but rather we are interested in determining what those combinations are. That is to say, what, exactly, are the subsets of size k.