Partitions?

The only way that 10 can be written as the sum of 4 distinct natural numbers is 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 . In how many different ways can 15 be written as the sum of 4 distinct natural numbers?

Note : The order of the numbers does not matter.


The answer is 6.

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3 solutions

Hamza A
Jun 21, 2016

Since 15 = 10 + 5 = 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + 5 15=10+5=1+2+3+4+5

We need to distribute the 5 5 to the numbers in different ways to make different ways to represent the number.

So 15 = 1 + 2 + 3 + ( 4 + 5 ) = 1 + 2 + 3 + 9 15=1+2+3+(4+5)=1+2+3+9 15 = 1 + 2 + ( 3 + 5 ) + 4 = 1 + 2 + 8 + 4 15=1+2+(3+5)+4=1+2+8+4 15 = 1 + ( 2 + 5 ) + 3 + 4 = 1 + 7 + 3 + 4 15=1+(2+5)+3+4=1+7+3+4 15 = ( 1 + 5 ) + 2 + 3 + 4 = 6 + 2 + 3 + 4 15=(1+5)+2+3+4=6+2+3+4

Now we need to split the 5 between the numbers.The only ways to split 5 such that there are 4 or less numbers in the partition is 5 = 4 + 1 = 3 + 2 = 3 + 1 + 1 = 2 + 2 + 1 5=4+1=3+2=3+1+1=2+2+1 .The only ways to split it such that no number equals the other in the partition (and also that it's not equivalent to another partition) is 1 + 2 + 5 + 7 1+2+5+7

So the total number is 6 \boxed{6}

Rob Waters
Jun 20, 2016

There are "cleverer" ways to solve this, but there are so few solutions that it's easiest to just list them!

1+2+3+9

1+2+4+8

1+2+5+7

1+3+4+7

1+3+5+6

2+3+4+6 [edited for typo]

The last one equals 14 14 ..

Hamza A - 4 years, 11 months ago

@Hummus a , please provide a clear conceptual solution .

Ujjwal Mani Tripathi - 4 years, 11 months ago

{{9, 3, 2, 1}, {8, 4, 2, 1}, {7, 5, 2, 1}, {7, 4, 3, 1}, {6, 5, 3, 1}, {6, 4, 3, 2}}

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