Pascal's triangle

E26830

Pascal's triangle is a triangular array of numbers in which each entry is the sum of the two directly above it, widely used in combinatorics, algebra, and probability.

All labels observed (4)

Label Occurrences
Pascal's triangle canonical 5
Khayyam triangle 1
Traité du triangle arithmétique 1

How this entity was disambiguated

Statements (49)

Predicate Object
instanceOf mathematical object
number triangle
boundaryCondition C(n,0) = 1 for all n ≥ 0
C(n,n) = 1 for all n ≥ 0
combinatorialMeaning C(n,k) counts k-element subsets of an n-element set
C(n,k) counts number of paths in a grid from (0,0) to (k,n-k) using unit steps
constructionMethod start with 1 at top and repeatedly add adjacent pairs to form next row
containsOnly nonnegative integers
definingProperty each entry is the sum of the two entries directly above it
diagonalProperty first diagonal consists of all 1s
fourth diagonal lists tetrahedral numbers
second diagonal lists natural numbers n
third diagonal lists triangular numbers
entryFormula C(n,k) = n choose k
entryNotation (n k)
C(n,k)
field algebra
combinatorics
probability theory
generalization Pascal's pyramid
linked to: multinomial theorem

multinomial coefficients
growthDirection extends infinitely downward
hasRow row 0: 1
row 1: 1 1
row 2: 1 2 1
row 3: 1 3 3 1
row 4: 1 4 6 4 1
hasShape triangular array
historicalUseBeforePascal China
India
Persia
identity sum_{k} C(n,k)^2 = C(2n,n)
∑_{k} (-1)^k C(n,k) = 0 for n ≥ 1
knownAsInChina Yang Hui's triangle
linked to: Pascal's triangle
knownAsInPersia Khayyam triangle
linked to: Pascal's triangle
namedAfter Blaise Pascal
nthRowRepresents coefficients of the binomial expansion of (x + y)^n
parityPattern mod 2 pattern forms Sierpiński triangle
relatedTo Bernoulli trials
binomial coefficients
binomial theorem
rowIndexingStartsAt 0
rowSumProperty sum of entries in nth row equals 2^n
satisfiesRecurrence C(n,k) = C(n-1,k-1) + C(n-1,k)
symmetryProperty C(n,k) = C(n,n-k)
topElement 1
usedFor computing binomial probabilities
counting combinations
expanding binomials

How these facts were elicited

Referenced by (8)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

binomial theorem relatesTo Pascal's triangle
Pascal's triangle knownAsInChina Yang Hui's triangle
linked to: Pascal's triangle
Pascal's triangle knownAsInPersia Khayyam triangle
linked to: Pascal's triangle
Blaise Pascal notableWork Traité du triangle arithmétique
linked to: Pascal's triangle
Blaise Pascal notableIdea Pascal's triangle
Blaise Pascal knownFor Pascal's triangle
Pascal's identity involvesConcept Pascal's triangle
Blaise Pascal knownFor Pascal's triangle
subject linked to: Pascal