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26 Combinatorial AnalysisProperties

§26.17 The Twelvefold Way

The twelvefold way gives the number of mappings f from set N of n objects to set K of k objects (putting balls from set N into boxes in set K). See Table 26.17.1. In this table (k)n is Pochhammer’s symbol, and S⁡(n,k) and pk⁡(n) are defined in §§26.8(i) and 26.9(i).

Table 26.17.1 is reproduced (in modified form) from Stanley (1997, p. 33). See also Example 3 in §26.18.

Table 26.17.1: The twelvefold way.
elements of N elements of K f unrestricted f one-to-one f onto
labeled labeled kn (k−n+1)n k!⁢S⁡(n,k)
unlabeled labeled (k+n−1n) (kn) (n−1n−k)
labeled unlabeled S⁡(n,1)+S⁡(n,2)+⋯+S⁡(n,k) {1n≤k0n>k S⁡(n,k)
unlabeled unlabeled pk⁡(n) {1n≤k0n>k pk⁡(n)−pk−1⁡(n)