I draw numbers 1 through k (k≤10) out of a hat ten times at random, replacing the numbers after drawing them. If I disregard the case where I draw "1" all ten times, explain why the number of possible sequences is divisible by 11. (Result by a calculator is insufficient because anyone can do that easily.)

Now if I change the number '10' to another integer n in the above paragraph, can I still have a similar result; i.e., the total possible number of configurations is divisible by n+1? Does this work for all integers n? If so, prove it; if not, find all integers n it works for.

n^2 - 1 = (n+1)*(n-1)

n^4 - 1 = (n^2+1)*(n^2-1)

Posted by Steve Herman on 2006-09-04 09:12:31