Plant Arrangement Methods
Mary has $ 6 $ identical basil plants, and three different window sills she can put them on. How many ways are there for Mary to put the plants on the window sills?
- 1
- 2
- 3
- +
- 4
- 5
- 6
- -
- 7
- 8
- 9
- $\frac{a}{b}$
- .
- 0
- =
- %
- $a^n$
- $a^{\circ}$
- $a_n$
- $\sqrt{}$
- $\sqrt[n]{}$
- $\pi$
- $\ln{}$
- $\log$
- $\theta$
- $\sin{}$
- $\cos{}$
- $\tan{}$
- $($
- $)$
- $[$
- $]$
- $\cap$
- $\cup$
- $,$
- $\infty$
Solution
Since the plants are indistinguishable, we must only count the number of plants on each window sill.
If all the plants are on one window sill, there are $ 3 $ ways to choose which window sill they are on.
If $ 5 $ plants are on one window sill and the last is on another, there are $ 3!=6 $ ways to choose which plants go on which window sill.
If $ 4 $ plants are on one window sill and the last two are on another, there are $ 3!=6 $ ways to choose which window sill they are on.
If $ 4 $ plants are on one window sill and the last two are each on one of the other windows, there are $ 3 $ ways to choose which window the $ 4 $ plants are on.
If $ 3 $ plants are on one window and the other $ 3 $ plants are all on another window, there are $ 3 $ ways to choose which window has no plants.
If $ 3 $ plants are on one window, $ 2 $ plants on another window, and $ 1 $ plant on the last window, there are $ 3!=6 $ ways to choose which plants are on which windows.
If $ 2 $ plants are on each window, there is only one way to arrange them.
In total, there are $ 3+6+6+3+3+6+1=\boxed{28} $ ways to arrange the plants on the window sills.
See if you can find a faster way to do this problem by considering lining up the plants, and placing two dividers among the plants to separate them into three groups corresponding to the sills.