Question: Given a set S, define a pair in S to be a subset of S containing exactly 2 elements. (For example, the set {1, 2,

Given a set S, define a pair in S to be a subset of S containing exactly 2 elements. (For example, the set {1, 2, 3} contains the pairs {1, 2}, {1, 3}, and {2, 3}.) Prove by weak induction (without using combinatorics formulas) that: any set with n elements has exactly n(n1) 2 different pairs, when n is an integer greater than or equal to 2. (Hint: if S is a set of size k + 1, label the elements of S as s1, s2, . . . , sk, sk+1. Think about the pairs in S that contain the last element sk+1, and the pairs that don't contain sk+1. Use the fact that set {s1, s2, . . . , sk} is a set of size k. )

Step by Step Solution

There are 3 Steps involved in it

1 Expert Approved Answer
Step: 1 Unlock blur-text-image
Question Has Been Solved by an Expert!

Get step-by-step solutions from verified subject matter experts

Step: 2 Unlock
Step: 3 Unlock

Students Have Also Explored These Related Mathematics Questions!