Seating Groups and ‘What a Coincidence!’: Mathematics in the Making and How It Gets Presented

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ROWLETT, Peter (2024). Seating Groups and ‘What a Coincidence!’: Mathematics in the Making and How It Gets Presented. Journal of Humanistic Mathematics, 14 (1), 229-238. [Article]

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33113:636732

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33113:636732

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Abstract

Mathematics is often presented as a neatly polished finished product, yet its development is messy and often full of mis-steps that could have been avoided with hindsight. An experience with a puzzle illustrates this conflict. The puzzle asks for the probability that a group of four and a group of two are seated adjacently within a hundred seats, and is solved using combinatorics techniques.

More Information

Official URL:

https://scholarship.claremont.edu/jhm/vol14/iss1/1...

Open Access URL:

https://scholarship.claremont.edu/cgi/viewcontent....

Open Access Version:

Published version

Page Range:

229-238

Identifiers

ORCID:

https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1917-7458