MetaChat - Combinatorics give me a headache

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04 July 2007

Combinatorics give me a headache This mefi question is quite a coincidence →[More:]because I've been wanting to ask this question, so that I have a statistic I can cite:

There are 9 total criteria for Borderline Personality Disorder. You must have a minimum of 5 to be diagnosed, but you can have any 5, any 6, any 7, any 8, or all 9. So how many possible combinations of criteria are there?

(Yeah, it's for when everyone in AskMe starts shoehorning all the BPDs into one small box.)

post by: IndigoRain at: 12:29 | 4 comments

Math hurts my head.

posted by miss lynnster 04 July | 12:37

Maths hurts my head too, but I think the answer is 256.

There are 126 combinations of 5 criteria, 84 of 6 criteria, 36 of 7, 9 of 8 and 1 combination of 9 criteria. Presumably you can just add these up, and get 256.

But bear in mind that I have been known to be embarrassingly, spectacularly wrong about these things before.

posted by matthewr 04 July | 12:45

But bear in mind that I have been known to be embarrassingly, spectacularly wrong about these things before.

Yes, but also bear in mind that matthewr is probably one of the cleverest people you are ever likely to meet.

posted by essexjan 04 July | 13:07

Thanks! I suck at math.

posted by IndigoRain 04 July | 18:10

← Back into caretaker mode. || Bunny! OMG! →

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