LEARN CATALAN NUMBERS

 CATALAN NUMBERS

An online catalan number definition

Catalan numbers are one of many special sequences of numbers that derive from combinatorics problems in recreational mathematics. Combinatorics deals with the selection of elements from a set of elements typically encountered under the topics of probability, combinations, permutations, and sampling.

The specific Catalan numbers are 1, 1, 2, 5, 14, 42, 132, 429, 1430, 4862, 16,796 and so on deriving from

This particular set of numbers derive from several combinatoric problems, one of which is the following. Given "2n" people gathered at a round table. How many person to person, non-crossing, handshakes can be made, i.e., no pairs of arms crossing one another across the table?

A few quick sketches of circles with even sets of dots and lines will lead you to the first three answers easily. Two people, one handshake. Four people, two handshakes. Six people, 5 handshakes. With a little patience and perseverance, eight people will lead you to 14 handshakes. Beyond that, it is probably best to rely on the given expression.

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