Peter Cushing wrote: > Paul Newton wrote: > >> No takers ? OK is there a general solution to this type of problem: >> >> Four counters (Red, Green, Blue, Yellow) >> 24 distinct ways of arranging them. >> 1 correct arrangement (say Red, Green, Blue, Yellow) >> How are the incorrect arrangements distributed (what is the probablity >> distribution of the incorrect arrangements) based on numer of counters >> in the wrong position ? >> >> For five counters ? >> >> For n counters ? >> >> > Hi Paul, > > We used to do stuff similar to this on my degree course (Applied > statistics and computing) but that finished in 1991 and I've slept since > then, so can't remember most of it. There used to be formulas for > calculating these probabilities and I remember them using factorials but > that's about it. > > Do you have any ideas on this? >
Peter I sent an enquiry about this problem to the Universities of Oxford, Cambridge and Bristol (my alma mater). Only Bristol have replied (so far). I would say that the solution is non-trivial but I found it interesting and pretty much understandable. I can forward the reply to you if you are interested. I studied chemistry from 1971-74 but one-third of the first year was devoted to mathematics. Regards Paul > Peter > > > [excessive quoting removed by server] _______________________________________________ Post Messages to: ProFox@leafe.com Subscription Maintenance: http://leafe.com/mailman/listinfo/profox OT-free version of this list: http://leafe.com/mailman/listinfo/profoxtech Searchable Archive: http://leafe.com/archives/search/profox This message: http://leafe.com/archives/byMID/profox/[EMAIL PROTECTED] ** All postings, unless explicitly stated otherwise, are the opinions of the author, and do not constitute legal or medical advice. This statement is added to the messages for those lawyers who are too stupid to see the obvious.
