The Amazing Colors of Pascal`s Triangle
Transcription
The Amazing Colors of Pascal`s Triangle
The Amazing Colors of Pascal’s Triangle Rob Hochberg Discrete Teaching Presented by Robert Hochberg, Discrete Teaching — Feel free to copy for classroom use VCTM 2002, Pascal — TSP #1 Pascal’s Triangle From “Visual Patterns in Pascal’s Triangle” by Dale Seymour Publications (an excellent resource for Pascal’s Triangle patterns) Presented by Robert Hochberg, Discrete Teaching — Feel free to copy for classroom use VCTM 2002, Pascal — TSP #2 Some Patterns in Pascal’s Triangle C Each number is the sum of the two numbers above it C The outside numbers are all 1 C The triangle is symmetric C The first diagonal shows the counting numbers C The sums of the rows give the powers of 2 C Each row gives the digits of the powers of 11. C Each entry is an appropriate “choose number.” C And those are the “binomial coeffecients.” C The Fibonacci numbers are in there along diagonals. Presented by Robert Hochberg, Discrete Teaching — Feel free to copy for classroom use VCTM 2002, Pascal — TSP #3 The Choose Numbers are the Binomial Coefficients Consider (a + b)5 = (a + b)·(a + b)·(a + b)·(a + b)·(a + b) In the first expression, the coefficient of a2b3, for example, is what we call a binomial coefficient. To compute the coefficient of a2b3 in the second expression, we select a term from each of the seven factors, making sure that exactly 3 of them are “b”. There are 53 ways to do that. Presented by Robert Hochberg, Discrete Teaching — Feel free to copy for classroom use VCTM 2002, Pascal — TSP #4 Fibonacci Numbers in Pascal’s Triangle Presented by Robert Hochberg, Discrete Teaching — Feel free to copy for classroom use VCTM 2002, Pascal — TSP #5 The Arithmetic of Pascal’s Triangle Presented by Robert Hochberg, Discrete Teaching — Feel free to copy for classroom use VCTM 2002, Pascal — TSP #6 A Hidden Pattern in Pascal’s Triangle If we color all the entries which are divisible by 2, black, and all the entries which are not divisible by 2, blue, then we get this Sierpinski-like coloring. This is called the “Mod-2" coloring Presented by Robert Hochberg, Discrete Teaching — Feel free to copy for classroom use VCTM 2002, Pascal — TSP #7 Mod-2 Coloring — First 128 Rows Presented by Robert Hochberg, Discrete Teaching — Feel free to copy for classroom use VCTM 2002, Pascal — TSP #8 Coloring Mod 3 — Divisibility Only Presented by Robert Hochberg, Discrete Teaching — Feel free to copy for classroom use VCTM 2002, Pascal — TSP #9 Coloring Mod 3 — With Remainder Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way. — Leo Tolstoy Anna Karenina Presented by Robert Hochberg, Discrete Teaching — Feel free to copy for classroom use VCTM 2002, Pascal — TSP #10 An Easier Way to Color Modularly To find the remainder when you make a sum, you can just find the remainders of the things you’re adding...and add them! + mod 3 0 1 2 0 0 1 2 1 1 2 0 2 2 0 1 For example: If you add the entries “5” and “10,” you get the sum “15.” The remainder of 15, mod 3, is 0. Alternately, you could look at the remainders of “5” and “10,” namely “2” and “1” respectively, and add them. 2 + 1 = 3, and the remainder of “3” mod 3 is 0. So we get the same answer two different ways! Presented by Robert Hochberg, Discrete Teaching — Feel free to copy for classroom use VCTM 2002, Pascal — TSP #11 Just Add Colors Since each remainder was assigned a color + mod 3 0 1 2 0 0 1 2 1 1 2 0 2 2 0 1 we can forget about the numbers and remainders, and just “add” the colors themselves! “+” mod 3 Presented by Robert Hochberg, Discrete Teaching — Feel free to copy for classroom use VCTM 2002, Pascal — TSP #12 Adding Just Colors “+” mod 3 Presented by Robert Hochberg, Discrete Teaching — Feel free to copy for classroom use VCTM 2002, Pascal — TSP #13 First 243 Rows with Remainder Mod 3 Presented by Robert Hochberg, Discrete Teaching — Feel free to copy for classroom use VCTM 2002, Pascal — TSP #14 First 256 Rows with Remainder Mod 4 Presented by Robert Hochberg, Discrete Teaching — Feel free to copy for classroom use VCTM 2002, Pascal — TSP #15 First 125 Rows with Remainder Mod 5 Presented by Robert Hochberg, Discrete Teaching — Feel free to copy for classroom use VCTM 2002, Pascal — TSP #16 First 216 Rows with Remainder Mod 6 Presented by Robert Hochberg, Discrete Teaching — Feel free to copy for classroom use VCTM 2002, Pascal — TSP #17 First 350 Rows with Remainder Mod 7 Presented by Robert Hochberg, Discrete Teaching — Feel free to copy for classroom use VCTM 2002, Pascal — TSP #18 Question 1 When will we get self-similar repetition in the pattern of multiples (mod n)? Only if n is prime! Now we prove that if p is prime, then the multiples of p in Pascal’s triangle form a self-similar repeating pattern. But first... We ask the question: How do you quickly find the value of n mod p k Presented by Robert Hochberg, Discrete Teaching — Feel free to copy for classroom use VCTM 2002, Pascal — TSP #19 A Very Nifty Trick 126 Let’s compute mod 7 90 42921556603703815855529053166825 Write 126 and 90, in base 7: 343 49 7 1 126 90 Treat the columns as binomial coefficients, and multiply them together! n Note: = 0 whenever k > n. k Let’s go to the computer and see if this makes sense... Presented by Robert Hochberg, Discrete Teaching — Feel free to copy for classroom use VCTM 2002, Pascal — TSP #20 How Many Non-Multiples in the nth Row, (mod p)? Let’s find the number of non-multiples of 7 in row 126: Write 126 base 7: We need the digits of k written base 7 to be less than or equal to the corresponding digits of 126, written base 7. In general, if bn...b3b2b1 is the base-p representation of n, then the number of colored (non-multiple) entries in the nth row is (bn + 1)· þ ·(b3 + 1)·(b2 + 1)·(b1 + 1) Presented by Robert Hochberg, Discrete Teaching — Feel free to copy for classroom use VCTM 2002, Pascal — TSP #21 Proof that the Nifty Trick Works First we need to show that every entry of the pr-th row is a multiple of p, except for the first and last entries. pr That is, that is a multiple of p, for k …0, pr. k 23 Here we prove it for , with a picture: 2 Presented by Robert Hochberg, Discrete Teaching — Feel free to copy for classroom use VCTM 2002, Pascal — TSP #22 Presented by Robert Hochberg, Discrete Teaching — Feel free to copy for classroom use VCTM 2002, Pascal — TSP #23 Presented by Robert Hochberg, Discrete Teaching — Feel free to copy for classroom use VCTM 2002, Pascal — TSP #24 Proof of the Nifty Trick 126 Consider mod 7 again: 90 This is the coefficient of x90 in the expansion of (1 + x)126. 126 = 2×49 + 4×7 + 0×1 (the base-7 representation) so: (1 + x)126 = (1 + x)49@(1 + x)49@(1 + x)7@(1 + x)7@(1 + x)7@(1 + x)7 = (1 + stuff + x49)@(1 + stuff + x49) @(1 + stuff + x7)@(1 + stuff + x7)@(1 + stuff + x7) @(1 + stuff + x7) 0 0 0 0 0 0 49 49 7 7 7 7 Presented by Robert Hochberg, Discrete Teaching — Feel free to copy for classroom use VCTM 2002, Pascal — TSP #25 Self-Similarity of Multiples of p Now we can prove that the pattern of multiples of a prime p in Pascal’s Triangle repeats itself on everincreasing scales. Let’s consider the first 27 rows (mod 3): Row 14: 14 base 3 = 1 1 2 Row 23: 23 base 3 = 2 1 2 (Maybe check out 27 rows mod 5) Presented by Robert Hochberg, Discrete Teaching — Feel free to copy for classroom use VCTM 2002, Pascal — TSP #26 An Unexpected Discovery Suppose we change the rule for generating Pascal’s Triangle so that, instead of each term being the sum of (left term) + (right term) it is the sum of 2×(left term) + 3×(right term) This gives a very different triangle full of numbers: But what about divisibility properties? Presented by Robert Hochberg, Discrete Teaching — Feel free to copy for classroom use VCTM 2002, Pascal — TSP #27 Explanation of Unexpected Discovery Once again, the binomial interpretation comes to our aid: The numbers in the triangle above result from expanding the binomial: (3x + 2y)k 1 3x + 2y 9x2 + 12xy + 4y2 27x3 + 54x2y + 36xy2 + 8y3 (3x + 2 y ) n n k n −k k n −k = ∑ 3 2 x y k Since the powers of 3 and 2 do not affect divisibility by any prime other than 2 or 3, we will always get exactly the same divisibility conditions. Presented by Robert Hochberg, Discrete Teaching — Feel free to copy for classroom use VCTM 2002, Pascal — TSP #28 A Template for Coloring Larger Sections of Pascal’s Triangle Presented by Robert Hochberg, Discrete Teaching — Feel free to copy for classroom use VCTM 2002, Pascal — TSP #29 The Amazing Colors of Pascal’s Triangle VCTM 2002 Manassas, Virginia Rob Hochberg Discrete Teaching All slides and handouts, as well as this resource pack, can be obtained online at: www.discreteteaching.com Username: VCTM2002 Password: manassas Presented by Robert Hochberg, Discrete Teaching — Feel free to copy for classroom use VCTM 2002 Pascal page 1 Generate Pascal’s Triangle Each entry is the sum of the two numbers directly above, and all the leftmost and rightmost entries are "1." Presented by Robert Hochberg, Discrete Teaching — Feel free to copy for classroom use VCTM 2002 Pascal page 2 Some Patterns in Pascal’s Triangle C Each number is the sum of the two numbers above it C The outside numbers are all 1 C The triangle is symmetric C The first diagonal shows the counting numbers C The sums of the rows give the powers of 2 C Each row gives the digits of the powers of 11. C Each entry is an appropriate “choose number.” C And those are the “binomial coeffecients.” C The Fibonacci numbers are in there along diagonals. The Arithmetic of Pascal’s Triangle C The “hockey stick” gives a quick way to add the terms in a diagonal, starting from an edge of the triangle. C The “funnel” gives a way of adding a rectangle of numbers, where the rectangle extends to both edges of the triangle, and contains the “1” at the top. The sum is given by one less than the term in the circle. C The star of David indicates that the product of the three terms in one triangle equals the product of the terms in the other triangle. Presented by Robert Hochberg, Discrete Teaching — Feel free to copy for classroom use VCTM 2002 Pascal page 3 Mod-2 Coloring — First 128 Rows Black = Even Gray = Odd Presented by Robert Hochberg, Discrete Teaching — Feel free to copy for classroom use VCTM 2002 Pascal page 4 An Easier Way to Color Modularly To find the remainder when you make a sum, you can just find the remainders of the things you’re adding...and add them! + mod 3 0 1 2 0 0 1 2 1 1 2 0 2 2 0 1 For example: If you add the entries “5” and “10,” you get the sum “15.” The remainder of 15, when divided by 3 (mod 3, as we say), is 0. Alternately, you could look at the remainders of “5” and “10,” namely “2” and “1” respectively, and add them. 2 + 1 = 3, and the remainder of “3” mod 3 is 0. So we get the same answer two different ways! Presented by Robert Hochberg, Discrete Teaching — Feel free to copy for classroom use VCTM 2002 Pascal page 5 Just Add Colors Since each remainder was assigned a color + mod 3 0 1 2 0 0 1 2 1 1 2 0 2 2 0 1 we can forget about the numbers and remainders, and just “add” the colors themselves! “+” mod 3 Presented by Robert Hochberg, Discrete Teaching — Feel free to copy for classroom use VCTM 2002 Pascal page 6 Mod-3 Coloring — First 128 Rows Black = Gray = Even Odd Presented by Robert Hochberg, Discrete Teaching — Feel free to copy for classroom use VCTM 2002 Pascal page 7 A Mod 4 Coloring of 256 Rows Black = White = Gray = Multiple of 4 Even, but not a multiple of 4 Odd Presented by Robert Hochberg, Discrete Teaching — Feel free to copy for classroom use VCTM 2002 Pascal page 8 The Sierpinski Triangle Presented by Robert Hochberg, Discrete Teaching — Feel free to copy for classroom use VCTM 2002 Pascal page 9 Investigations What are some questions you can ask about the various stages of the Sierpinski Triangle? C How many shaded triangles are in each figure? C What is the shaded area of each figure? C What is the total perimeter of each figure? C What will the "end stage" look like? Presented by Robert Hochberg, Discrete Teaching — Feel free to copy for classroom use VCTM 2002 Pascal page 10 The Choose Numbers are the Binomial Coefficients Consider (a + b)5 = (a + b)·(a + b)·(a + b)·(a + b)·(a + b). In the first expression, the coefficient of a2b3, for example, is what we call a binomial coefficient. To compute the coefficient of a2b3 in the second expression, we select a term from each of the seven factors, making sure that exactly 3 of them are “b”. 5 3 There are ways to do that. Question 1 When will we get self-similar repetition in the pattern of multiples (mod n)? Only if n is prime! Now we prove that if p is prime, then the multiples of p in Pascal’s triangle form a self-similar repeating pattern. But first... We ask the question: How do you quickly find the value of n mod p ? k A Very Nifty Trick 126 Let’s compute mod 7 . (This is 42921556603703815855529053166825), by the way: 90 Write 126 and 90, in base 7: 343 49 7 1 126 90 Treat the columns as binomial coefficients, and multiply them together! n k Note: = 0 whenever k > n. How Many Non-Multiples in the nth Row, (mod p)? Let’s find the number of non-multiples of 7 in row 126: Write 126 base 7: We need the digits of k written base 7 to be less than or equal to the corresponding digits of 126, written base 7. In general, if bn...b3b2b1 is the base-p representation of n, then the number of colored (non-multiple) entries in the nth row is (bn + 1)· þ ·(b3 + 1)·(b2 + 1)·(b1 + 1) Proof that the Nifty Trick Works First we need to show that every entry of the pr-th row is a multiple of p, except for the first and last entries. pr That is, that is a multiple of p, for k …0, pr. k Presented by Robert Hochberg, Discrete Teaching — Feel free to copy for classroom use VCTM 2002 Pascal page 11 Here we prove it for 23 2 , with a picture: The picture above shows all 28 ways to select 2 of the 8 vertices of the octagon. Since they come in groups of either 8 or 4, when grouped by rotational equivalence, the resulting number is definitely a multiple of 2. Here is a template for your own perusal: Presented by Robert Hochberg, Discrete Teaching — Feel free to copy for classroom use VCTM 2002 Pascal page 12 Proof of the Nifty Trick 126 mod 7 again: 90 Consider This is the coefficient of x90 in the expansion of (1 + x)126. 126 = 2×49 + 4×7 + 0×1 (the base-7 representation) so: (1 + x)126 = (1 + x)49@(1 + x)49@(1 + x)7@(1 + x)7@(1 + x)7@(1 + x)7 = (1 + stuff + x49)@(1 + stuff + x49)@(1 + stuff + x7)@(1 + stuff + x7)@(1 + stuff + x7)@(1 + stuff + x7) 0 0 0 0 0 0 49 49 7 7 7 7 90 Most of the ways to obtain a product of x involve taking a term from some “stuff,” which will be a multiple of 7. The only way not to obtain a multiple of 7 would be to use only the first and last terms from each factor. But this is like expressing 90 as the sum of powers of 7. Self-Similarity of Multiples of p Now we can prove that the pattern of multiples of a prime p in Pascal’s Triangle repeats itself on ever-increasing scales. Let’s consider the first 27 rows (mod 3): Row 14: 14 base 3 = 1 1 2 Row 23: 23 base 3 = 2 1 2 (Maybe check out 27 rows mod 5) An Unexpected Discovery Suppose we change the rule for generating Pascal’s Triangle so that, instead of each term being the sum of the left and right terms above it is the sum of 2×(left term) + 3×(right term) This gives a very different triangle full of numbers: But what about divisibility properties? Explanation of Unexpected Discovery Once again, the binomial interpretation comes to our aid: The numbers in the triangle above result from expanding the binomial (3x + 2y)k :1, 3x + 2y, 9x2 + 12xy + 4y2, 27x3 + 54x2y + 36xy2 + 8y3 n k n −k k n −k n 3 2 + = x y ( ) ∑ k 3 2 x y Since the powers of 3 and 2 do not affect divisibility by any prime other than 2 or 3, we will always get exactly the same divisibility conditions. So the pattern o f number divisible by 5, for example, will be exactly the same as for the original triangle. Presented by Robert Hochberg, Discrete Teaching — Feel free to copy for classroom use VCTM 2002 Pascal page 13 A Template for Coloring Larger Sections of Pascal’s Triangle Presented by Robert Hochberg, Discrete Teaching — Feel free to copy for classroom use VCTM 2002 Pascal page 14