Note: In this section we will use the alternative notation \(\combinationalt{n}{k}\) in place of \(\combination{n}{k}. \)
The combination values \(\combinationalt{n}{k}\) as we vary \(n\) and \(k\) exhibit some patterns — see Figure 22.4.1 below.
Studying the version of Pascal’s triangle involving the actual combination values, here are some of the patterns we observe.
The values are symmetric about a vertical line through the centre of the triangle.
It appears that every entry is the sum of the two entries immediately above.
It appears that each row sums to a power of \(2\text{.}\)
We have already observed the first pattern as arising from the equivalence of choosing versus rejecting elements to form a subset (see Corollary 22.2.4 and Remark 22.2.5).
The next two propositions confirm that the other two observed patterns continue throughout the triangle.
Proposition22.4.2.
For \(n \ge 2\) and \(1\le k \le n-1\text{,}\) we have \(\combinationalt{n}{k} = \combinationalt{n-1}{k-1} + \combinationalt{n-1}{k} \text{.}\)
We could prove this equality just by comparing the factorial formulas involved on the left-hand and right-hand sides. But instead we will consider each of these combination values as representing the number of subsets of a certain size.
Write
\begin{equation*}
A = \natnumlt{n} = \{0,1,2,\dotsc,n - 1\}
\end{equation*}
so that \(\card{A} = n\text{.}\) Then the left-hand side of the equality in the statement of the proposition represents the number of subsets of \(A\) of size \(k\text{.}\) Let’s break that collection of subsets into two subcollections.
Subsets of \(A\) of size \(k\) that contain \(0\).
Each of these subsets will consist of \(0\) along with \(k - 1\) nonzero elements. As \(A\) contains \(n - 1\) nonzero elements from which to choose, there are \(\combinationalt{n - 1}{k - 1}\) ways to select those additional subset elements from \(A\text{.}\)
Subsets of \(A\) of size \(k\) that do not contain \(0\).
Each of these subsets must consist of \(k\) nonzero elements. As \(A\) contains \(n - 1\) nonzero elements from which to choose, there are \(\combinationalt{n - 1}{k}\) ways to select those subset elements from \(A\text{.}\)
Adding these two disjoint cases together using the Addition Rule yields the right-hand side of the equality.
Proposition22.4.3.
For \(n\ge 0\text{,}\) we have \(\displaystyle \sum_{k=0}^n \combinationalt{n}{k} = 2^n\text{.}\)
Let \(A = \natnumlt{n}\text{,}\) so that \(\card{A} = n\text{.}\) Then \(\card{\powset{A}} = 2^n\) (Theorem 12.2.9). So the right-hand side of the equality represents the number of possible subsets of \(A\text{.}\)
On the other hand, for each index \(k\) in the sum on the left-hand side, the term \(\combinationalt{n}{k}\) is the number of subsets of \(A\) of size \(k\text{.}\) Using the Addition Rule, the sum of these terms must also be the total number of possible subsets of \(A\text{.}\)
Here is one further property of the choose function.
Suppose \(A\) is a finite set with \(\card{A} = n + 1\text{.}\) (For example, we could use \(A = \natnumlt{n+1}\text{,}\) but that might get confusing between numbers as elements of \(A\) and numbers as cardinalities of subsets of \(A\text{.}\)) Then the left-hand side of the equality is the number of subsets of \(A\) of size \(m + 1\text{.}\) Here is a systematic way we could create that those subsets.
Choose an ordering of the elements of \(A\text{,}\) so that
\begin{equation*}
A = \{a_1,a_2,\dotsc,a_{n+1}\} \text{,}
\end{equation*}
though we will not count this choice of ordering. Then, proceed as follows.
so that \(B_1 \subseteq A\) with \(\card{B_1} = m + 1\text{.}\) Then there is exactly \(1 = \combinationalt{m+1}{m+1}\) subset of \(B_1\) of size \(m + 1\text{,}\) which is \(B_1\) itself. And this subset of \(B_1\) is also a subset of \(A\text{.}\)
so that \(B_1 \subseteq B_2 \subseteq A\) with \(\card{B_2} = m + 2\text{.}\) Using only the elements of \(B_2\text{,}\) to create a new subset \(X \subseteq A\) of size \(m + 1\) that we have not already counted we must include the new element \(a_{m+2}\text{,}\) with the remaining \(m\) elements to make up \(X\) chosen from \(B_1\text{.}\) So we get \(\combinationalt{m+1}{m}\) new subsets of \(A\) of size \(m+1\) from \(B_2\text{.}\)
so that \(B_2 \subseteq B_3 \subseteq A\) with \(\card{B_3} = m + 3\text{.}\) Using only the elements of \(B_3\text{,}\) to create a new subset of \(X \subseteq A\) of size \(m + 1\) that we have not already counted we must include the new element \(a_{m+3}\text{,}\) with the remaining \(m\) elements to make up \(X\) chosen from \(B_2\text{.}\) So we get \(\combinationalt{m+2}{m}\) new subsets of \(A\) of size \(m+1\) from \(B_3\text{.}\)
And so on. The last step in this process is when we create new subsets of size \(m+1\) by first choosing to include \(a_{n+1}\text{,}\) and then choosing the remaining \(m\) elements from \(A \smallsetminus \{a_{n+1}\}\text{,}\) giving us \(\combinationalt{n}{m}\) new subsets.
Every subset \(X \subseteq A\) of size \(m + 1\) is accounted for in the above process, since every such subset must contain at least one element with index \(m + 1\) or larger. If \(a_N\) is the element in \(X\) with the largest index, then \(X\) is one of the subsets considered in step \(\ell\text{,}\) where \(N = m + \ell\text{.}\)
So adding up each of these disjoint cases using the Addition Rule must yield the total number of subsets of \(A\) of size \(m + 1\text{.}\) Replacing the \(\combinationalt{m+1}{m+1}\) total from the first step with \(\combinationalt{m}{m}\) (since both are equal to \(1\)) to match the pattern of the subsequent steps, we obtain