Let 𝑋 and π‘Œ denote the sets containing 2 and 20 distinct objects…

2015

Let 𝑋 and π‘Œ denote the sets containing 2 and 20 distinct objects respectively and 𝐹 denote the set of all possible functions defined from 𝑋 to π‘Œ. Let 𝑓 be randomly chosen from 𝐹. The probability of 𝑓 being one-to-one is ________.

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Correct answer: 0.95

Key idea: count all possible functions and count the one-to-one (injective) functions, then form their ratio.

  • Total number of functions from X to Y:

    Each of the 2 elements of X can be mapped to any of the 20 elements of Y, so total = 20^2 = 400.

  • Number of one-to-one (injective) functions:

    Choose distinct images for the 2 elements of X: 20 choices for the first, 19 for the second, so injective count = 20 Γ— 19 = 380.

  • Probability that a randomly chosen function is one-to-one:

    Probability = 380 / 400 = 19 / 20 = 0.95.

Answer: 19/20 = 0.95.

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