Alphabeta Math
TheoremStatement: AI-adaptedProof: AI-adaptedSession-authored (Fable 5 assisted)precheck passjudge pass (z-ai/glm-5.2)audited 2026-07-29
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(nk)k!(nk)!=n!\binom{n}{k}\,k!\,(n-k)! = n! for knk \le n; hence (nk)k!=nk\binom{n}{k}\,k! = n^{\underline{k}}, the quotient n!/(k!(nk)!)n!/(k!(n-k)!) is a natural number, and (nk)=(nnk)\binom{n}{k} = \binom{n}{n-k}

Statement

Let n,kNn, k \in \mathbb{N} with knk \le n. Then, in N\mathbb{N},

(nk)k!(nk)!=n!,\binom{n}{k}\cdot k!\cdot (n-k)! = n! ,

and consequently:

  1. (nk)k!=nk\binom{n}{k}\cdot k! = n^{\underline{k}} (The factorial n!n! and the falling factorial nkn^{\underline{k}}, defined by recursion in N\mathbb{N});
  2. integrality: in R\mathbb{R}, ι(nk)=ι(n!)ι(k!)ι((nk)!)\iota\binom{n}{k} = \dfrac{\iota(n!)}{\iota(k!)\,\iota((n-k)!)}, so the familiar quotient n!/(k!(nk)!)n!/(k!\,(n-k)!) is the canonical natural of a natural number, namely of the count (nk)\binom{n}{k};
  3. symmetry: (nk)=(nnk)\binom{n}{k} = \binom{n}{n-k}.

Here ι\iota is the canonical natural of The canonical natural ι(n)=n1F\iota(n) = n \cdot 1_F of a field and nkn-k the truncated difference, which for knk \le n is the ordinary one.

Facts & Assumptions

Given: Naturals n,kn, k with knk \le n; the initial segment k={i:i<k}k = \{\,i : i<k\,\}, which satisfies knk \subseteq n; and Bij(X,Y)\operatorname{Bij}(X,Y) for the set of bijections XYX \to Y.

[L1]

(mj)=[X]j\binom{m}{j} = \lvert [X]^{j}\rvert for every finite XX with X=m\lvert X\rvert = m; [X]j[X]^{j} is finite (The set [A]k[A]^{k} of kk-element subsets and the binomial coefficient (nk):=[n]k\binom{n}{k} := \lvert [n]^{k}\rvert).

[L2]

Bij(X,Y)=m!\lvert\operatorname{Bij}(X,Y)\rvert = m! when X=Y=m\lvert X\rvert = \lvert Y\rvert = m, and such a set is finite (A finite set AA with A=n\lvert A\rvert = n has exactly n!n! bijections onto itself, and n!n! bijections onto any set of the same cardinality).

[L5]

Factorials (The factorial n!n! and the falling factorial nkn^{\underline{k}}, defined by recursion in N\mathbb{N}): m!0m! \ne 0 for every mm; nk(nk)!=n!n^{\underline{k}}(n-k)! = n! for knk \le n.

[L7]

Arithmetic of N\mathbb{N}: multiplication is associative and commutative, and xc=ycx\cdot c = y\cdot c with c0c \ne 0 gives x=yx = y (Multiplication is associative, Multiplication is commutative, Cancellation for multiplication by a nonzero factor); k+t=nk + t = n determines t=nkt = n-k (Order on the natural numbers, Addition is cancellative).

[L8]

The embedding ι\iota is multiplicative and injective, and ι(m)0\iota(m) \ne 0 for m0m \ne 0 (clauses 0 and 7 of Laws of finite sums and products in N\mathbb{N}, and ι(k<nak)=k<nι(ak)\iota\big(\sum_{k<n} a_k\big) = \sum_{k<n} \iota(a_k), The canonical natural ι(n)=n1F\iota(n) = n \cdot 1_F of a field); a nonzero element of a field has a unique inverse, so division by it is legitimate (Identities and inverses in a field are unique, Field).

[L9]

Maps (Injection, surjection, bijection, Equinumerous sets, ABA \approx B and ABA \preceq B): a map with a two-sided inverse is a bijection; a bijection of nn carries a subset onto a subset and the complement onto the complement.

Proof

technique · direct
1.1

The set to be counted twice is Bij(n)\operatorname{Bij}(n), of cardinality n!n! by [L2]. For S[n]kS \in [n]^{k} put BijS:={fBij(n):f[k]=S}\operatorname{Bij}_S := \{\, f \in \operatorname{Bij}(n) : f[k] = S \,\}. These sets are pairwise disjoint, since ff determines f[k]f[k], and their union over S[n]kS \in [n]^{k} is all of Bij(n)\operatorname{Bij}(n), because f[k]f[k] is a subset of nn of cardinality kk for every bijection ff of nn.

L1L2L6L9construct
1.2

For any XnX \subseteq n with X=k\lvert X\rvert = k one has nX=nk\lvert n \setminus X\rvert = n-k: the sets XX and nXn \setminus X are disjoint with union nn, so n=k+nXn = k + \lvert n\setminus X\rvert by [L3], and [L7] identifies the second summand as nkn-k.

L3L6L7
2.1

BijS=k!(nk)!\lvert\operatorname{Bij}_S\rvert = k!\,(n-k)! for every S[n]kS \in [n]^{k}. Indeed f(fk, f(nk))f \mapsto (f\restriction k,\ f\restriction (n\setminus k)) maps BijS\operatorname{Bij}_S to Bij(k,S)×Bij(nk, nS)\operatorname{Bij}(k, S) \times \operatorname{Bij}(n\setminus k,\ n\setminus S): if f[k]=Sf[k] = S then ff restricted to kk is a bijection onto SS, and, ff being a bijection of nn, it carries nkn \setminus k onto nSn \setminus S. The map (u,v)uv(u,v) \mapsto u \cup v is a two-sided inverse, the union of the two functions being a function on k(nk)=nk \cup (n\setminus k) = n and a bijection onto S(nS)=nS \cup (n\setminus S) = n. Since k=S=k\lvert k\rvert = \lvert S\rvert = k and nk=nS=nk\lvert n\setminus k\rvert = \lvert n\setminus S\rvert = n-k by step 1.2, [L2] and [L4] give the cardinality k!(nk)!k!\,(n-k)!.

step 1.1step 1.2L2L4L6L9
2.2

Symmetry. The map SnSS \mapsto n \setminus S sends [n]k[n]^{k} into [n]nk[n]^{\,n-k} by step 1.2, and TnTT \mapsto n\setminus T sends [n]nk[n]^{\,n-k} into [n]k[n]^{k}, again by step 1.2 together with n(nk)=kn-(n-k) = k, which holds because (nk)+k=n(n-k) + k = n. The two are mutually inverse, since n(nS)=Sn\setminus(n\setminus S) = S for SnS \subseteq n. Hence (nk)=(nnk)\binom{n}{k} = \binom{n}{n-k}.

step 1.2L1L6L7L9construct
3.1

Counting Bij(n)\operatorname{Bij}(n) by the blocks of step 1.1 and using [L3], n!=Bij(n)=S[n]kBijS=S[n]kk!(nk)!=[n]kk!(nk)!=(nk)k!(nk)!n! = \lvert\operatorname{Bij}(n)\rvert = \sum_{S \in [n]^{k}}\lvert\operatorname{Bij}_S\rvert = \sum_{S \in [n]^{k}} k!\,(n-k)! = \big\lvert [n]^{k}\big\rvert\cdot k!\,(n-k)! = \binom{n}{k}\,k!\,(n-k)!, the summand being constant.

step 1.1step 2.1L1L3
4.1

Clause 1. By [L5], nk(nk)!=n!n^{\underline{k}}(n-k)! = n!, so ((nk)k!)(nk)!=nk(nk)!\big(\binom{n}{k}k!\big)(n-k)! = n^{\underline{k}}(n-k)! by step 3.1 and associativity; since (nk)!0(n-k)! \ne 0, cancellation gives (nk)k!=nk\binom{n}{k}\,k! = n^{\underline{k}}.

step 3.1L5L7
4.2

Clause 2. Applying ι\iota to step 3.1 and using multiplicativity, ι(n!)=ι(nk)ι(k!)ι((nk)!)\iota(n!) = \iota\binom{n}{k}\,\iota(k!)\,\iota((n-k)!). Both ι(k!)\iota(k!) and ι((nk)!)\iota((n-k)!) are nonzero by [L5] and [L8], so their product is invertible in R\mathbb{R} and ι(nk)=ι(n!)/(ι(k!)ι((nk)!))\iota\binom{n}{k} = \iota(n!)\big/\big(\iota(k!)\iota((n-k)!)\big). The left-hand side is the canonical natural of the count (nk)\binom{n}{k}, which is what the word integrality means here.

step 3.1L5L8
5.1

The displayed identity is step 3.1, clause 1 is step 4.1, clause 2 is step 4.2 and clause 3 is step 2.2.

step 2.2step 3.1step 4.1step 4.2

Remarks

  • Why the symmetry is proved by a bijection. Complementation is shorter than manipulating the closed formula, it needs no hypothesis beyond knk \le n, and it is the argument that survives to the multinomial coefficient, where no single closed formula is available until the analogous count has been made.

  • Where knk \le n is used. In step 1.1, so that kk is a subset of nn of cardinality kk and [n]k[n]^{k} is nonempty; and in step 1.2, so that nkn-k is a genuine difference. For k>nk > n both sides of the displayed identity are still defined, but the left-hand side is 00 while n!n! is not, so the hypothesis is not removable.

  • The quotient formula is a theorem about a natural number. A reader who starts from n!/(k!(nk)!)n!/(k!(n-k)!) has to prove that the division comes out exact. Starting from the count, the exactness is what step 3.1 says, and the quotient is a consequence.

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Direct dependencies and their dependencies through the next three levels: 76 results over 25 levels. An arrow runs from a result to what uses it, and this result sits at the bottom with a heavier outline. Click the chart to enlarge it.

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