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Pigeonhole principle

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PIGEONHOLE PRINCIPLE - DISCRETE MATHEMATICS

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What Is the Pigeonhole Principle?

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[Discrete Mathematics] Pigeonhole Principle Examples

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Pigeonhole principle made easy

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Discrete Math II - 6.2.1 The Pigeonhole Principle

In mathematics, the pigeonhole principle states that if items are put into containers, with , then at least one container must contain more than one item. This theorem is exemplified in real life by truisms like "in any group of three gloves there must be at least two left gloves or at least two right gloves". It is an example of a counting argument. This seemingly obvious statement can be used to demonstrate possibly unexpected results; for example, that there are two people in London who have the same number of hairs on their heads.
  • Etymology 

  • Examples 

  • Uses and applications 

  • Generalizations of the pigeonhole principle 

  • Infinite sets 

  • Quantum mechanics