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If $n$ is number of ways in which five different employees can sit in four indistinguishable offices, where any office may have any number of persons including zero, then $n$ is equal to

My Approach: I solved this using case method

Case $1$: $5,0,0,0\implies 1$ way

Case $2$: $4,1,0,0\implies 5$ ways

Case $3$: $3,2,0,0\implies 10$ ways

Case $4$: $2,2,0,1\implies 15$ ways

Case $5$: $2,1,1,1 \implies 10$ ways

Case $6$: $3,1,1,0 \implies 10$ ways

Hence there are total of $51$ cases

My Doubt: Is this question can be solved using principle of inclusion and exclusion?

Also, how can I solve this question using Stirling function?

N. F. Taussig
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mathophile
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1 Answers1

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Your answer is correct, but the simplest tool to use here is formation of unlabeled teams, which, written in factorial form, would be

$\frac{5!}{5!} + \frac{5!}{4!1!} +\frac{5!}{3!2!} + \frac{5!}{3!1!1!}/2! + \frac{5!}{2!2!1!}/2! + \frac{5!}{2!1!1!1!}/3! = 51$

Notice particularly the divisions where teams have identical numbers of people.

If you prefer, you can use the choose function instead, e.g.

$\binom55 + \binom54 + \binom53 + \binom53\binom21/2! +...$

but I feel that less errors will be committed using the factorial form, although it is longer, because it spells out the full details.


Re your doubts

  • You can use inclusion-exclusion, firstly assuming that the rooms are distinct, and then erasing their identity by dividing by $k!$ where $k$ is the nmber of occupied rooms, and you will have to do it separately for $1,2,3,4$ rooms occupied and add up.

  • Similarly, Stirling numbers of the second kind, of course, can be used, but again in summation form i.e. $$\sum_{k=1}^4{5\brace {k}}$$

So while both these tools are available, I wonder whether they are worthwhile, unless you have a handy table of Stirling numbers with you !


How to use PIE here

We shall compute for $1,2,3,4,5$ boxes full and add them up. Remember that we need to erase the identity of the boxes, so

$\frac{1^5}{1!} + \frac{2^5-\binom21\cdot1^5}{2!} +\frac{3^5-\binom31\cdot2^5+\binom32\cdot1^5}{3!} + \frac{4^5-\binom41\cdot3^5 +\binom42\cdot2^5 -\binom43\cdot1^5}{4!} $

which yields the answer of $\boxed{51}$

You might agree that the first method given was the simplest amd most transparent !