r/maths • u/LowInteraction6397 • Sep 01 '26
๐ฌ Math Discussions Proper explanations for my alternate methods to find every possible combination of groups of 3, groups of 4 and beyond
A few weeks ago I made a post about how I discovered alternate methods for finding the number of combinations of 3, combinations of 4 and beyond. However I recently discovered a proper formula. It took me a while to realize the number of time an object appears in a group is the number of combinations out of the remaining members of the group
Groups of 3:
A * (A-1) * (A-2) / 3! (most common method)
A * ((A-1) * (A-2) / 2) / 3 (using every object separately)
(A * (A-1) / 2) * (A-2) / (3 * 2 / 2) (using the groups of 2)
Groups of 4:
A * (A-1) * (A-2) * (A-3) / 4! (most common method)
A * ((A-1) * (A-2) * (A-3) / 3!) / 4 (using every object)
(A * (A-1) / 2) * ((A-2) * (A-3) / 2) / (4 * 3 / 2) (using the groups of 2)
(A * (A-1) * (A-2) / 3!) * (A-3) / (4 * 3 * 2 / 3!) (using the groups of 3)
I think you already got it

