Name Score

Emil Jericho L. Allago

Course/Section: CESE-2/E08 Date: 12/19/20

GED102
HW 4B – Galton Board Exercise

Refer to Exercise 2.2 (pp. 97-98, Mathematics in the Modern World by Adina and Earnhart), but work
individually, NOT BY GROUP. Answer Guide Questions 1 – 4 only, and use the following figure.

1. How many routes can a ball take as it travels from A to B, from A to C, from A to D, from
A to E, and from A to F?
Having regard to the arrangement of routes from point A to other points as shown
in the figure. Looking closely at the figure in question, we find that the pattern of numbers
arranged in the respective rows is identical to that of the Pascal Triangle. Each row starts
and ends with the number 1. Any other number in a row is the sum of the next two. Use
the same rule to decide the number of routes from A to B,
Routes from A → B = Sum of nearest numbers in the previous level
= Left + Right closest number in the previous level
= 0 + 1 (as there is not left closest)
=1
Similarly, the number of routes from A to other destinations are,
Routes from A → C = Sum of nearest numbers in the previous level
=1+3
=4
 Routes from A → D = Sum of nearest numbers in the previous level
=3+3
=6
Routes from A → E = Sum of nearest numbers in the previous level
=3+1
=4
Routes from A → F = Sum of nearest numbers in the previous level
= 1 + 0 (as there is no right closest)
=1
So, the number of routes from A to B, C, D, E, F are = 1, 4, 6, 4, 1.

2. How many routes can a ball take as it travels from A to G, from A to H, from A to I, from
A to J, and from A to K?
In accordance with the same rule the routes between A and G are calculated,
And the previous G row is row 7, which fills this left row with the triangle rule of Pascal,
so it is,
Row 7 = {1, 7, 21, 35, 35, 21, 7, 1}
So, Routes from A → G = Sum of nearest numbers in the previous level
= Left + Right closest number in the previous level
= 0 + 1 (as there is not left closest)
Similarly, the number of routes from A to other destinations are,
Routes from A → H = Sum of nearest numbers in the previous level
= Left + Right closest number in the previous level
=1+7
=8
Routes from A → I = Sum of nearest numbers in the previous level
= Left + Right closest number in the previous level
= 7 + 21
= 28
Routes from A → J = Sum of nearest numbers in the previous level
= 21 + 35
= 56
Routes from A → K = Sum of nearest numbers in the previous level
= 35 + 35
= 70
Following the rules of Pascal’s triangle, we get the number of routes from,
A to G, H, I, J, K = 1, 8, 28, 56, 70.
3. Explain how you know that the number of routes from A to J is the same as the number of
routes from A to L.
We find that the number of routes between A → J and A → L are same.
Routes from A → J = Routes from A → L
 = 56
As the number of routes depend on the previous closest numbers and according to the Pascal’s
triangle, the sum of nearest neighbors of previous level are the same for both the routes from A →
J and A → L. Similarly, for other pairs; from A → G and A → O; A → H and A → N; A → I and
A → M, the number of routes is similar.

4. Explain why the greatest number of balls tend to fall into the center bin.
From the figure we will see that the numbers are the greatest in each row at the heart of the
arrangement. Since the scheme is identical to the Pascal's triangle, the sum of the two closest
numbers is any number in a row. As can be shown, Row 2 is the biggest center number. Similarly,
the center numbers are the highest in sequential order (the sum of the largest figures for the
previous row).