Forward equals backward

( n 1234 ) = ( n 4321 ) \Large \dbinom{\color{#D61F06}{n} }{ \color{#3D99F6}{1234} }= \dbinom {\color{#D61F06}{n}}{ \color{#20A900}{4321}} n = ? \Large \color{#D61F06}{n} \quad=\quad \color{#69047E}{?}

Note : n > 1233 n > 1233 .


The answer is 5555.

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2 solutions

Nihar Mahajan
May 4, 2015

( n 1234 ) = ( n 4321 ) n ! ( n 1234 ) ! 1234 ! = n ! ( n 4321 ) ! 4321 ! ( n 4321 ) ! 4321 ! 1234 ! ( n 1234 ) ! = 1 n 4321 = 1234 ( Since 1234 ! 4321 ! ) n = 5555 {n \choose 1234} = {n\choose 4321} \\ \dfrac{n!}{(n-1234)!1234!}=\dfrac{n!}{(n-4321)!4321!} \\ \dfrac{(n-4321)!4321!}{1234!(n-1234)!} = 1 \\ \Rightarrow n-4321=1234 \dots (\text{Since} 1234! \neq 4321! )\\ \Rightarrow \boxed{n=5555}

Also there is a identity :

( n a ) = ( n n a ) n 1234 = 4321 n = 5555 \Large {n \choose a} = {n\choose n-a} \\ \Rightarrow n-1234=4321 \\ \Rightarrow \boxed{n=5555}

Technically, you need to specify that n > 1233 n>1233 , else LHS = RHS for all 1 < n < 1234 -1<n<1234 .

Pi Han Goh - 6 years, 1 month ago

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Oh yeah! You found a loophole.

Nihar Mahajan - 6 years, 1 month ago

Nice problem you got there.By the way is it possible for some n n that ( k n ) = ( q n ) {k \choose n} = {q \choose n} whereas q k q \not= k ?

Arian Tashakkor - 6 years, 1 month ago

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No, I don't think so. I believe if it would've been k with n and q with some otherother constant, say m.

Harsh Pathak - 6 years, 1 month ago

Nope. If WLOG k > q k>q then the number of ways to choose n n objects from a set of k k has to be the number of ways to choose n n objects from a smaller set of q q objects, plus a few more (because they might be from the objects in q q but not k k ).

Linus Setiabrata - 6 years ago
Michael Fuller
May 5, 2015

I solved this in a sightly weird way

( n 1234 ) = ( n 4321 ) n ! 1234 ! ( n 1234 ) ! = n ! 4321 ! ( n 4321 ) ! n ! 4321 ! ( n 4321 ) ! = n ! 1234 ! ( n 1234 ) ! 4321 ! ( n 4321 ) ! = 1234 ! ( n 1234 ) ! 4321 ! 1234 ! = ( n 1234 ) ! ( n 4321 ) ! ( 4321 ) ( 4320 ) ( 1235 ) = ( n 1234 ) ( n 1235 ) ( n 4320 ) \left( \begin{matrix} n \\ 1234 \end{matrix} \right) =\left( \begin{matrix} n \\ 4321 \end{matrix} \right) \\\frac { n! }{ 1234!(n-1234)! } =\frac { n! }{ 4321!(n-4321)! } \\ n!4321!(n-4321)!=n!1234!(n-1234)!\\ 4321!(n-4321)!=1234!(n-1234)!\\ \frac { 4321! }{ 1234! } =\frac { (n-1234)! }{ (n-4321)! } \\ (4321)(4320)\dots (1235)=(n-1234)(n-1235)\dots (n-4320)

From here we notice that 4321 = n 1234 4321=n-1234 is the same as 4320 = n 1235 4320=n-1235 and so forth.

4321 = n 1234 n = 5555 4321=n-1234\\ n=\boxed { 5555 }

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