How many onto functions are there from a set with n elements to a set with three elements?
Could somebody explain how to do this, perhaps substituting 5 in for n?
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How many onto functions are there from a set with n elements to a set with three elements?
Could somebody explain how to do this, perhaps substituting 5 in for n?
You can solve it by recusive definition: suppose $\displaystyle n\geq 3$
Let $\displaystyle A_n$ be the number of onto function from a set with n elements to a set with three elements, $\displaystyle B_n$ be the number of onto function from a set with n elements to a set with two elements.
then what is the recusive relation between $\displaystyle A_{n+1}$,$\displaystyle A_n$ and $\displaystyle B_n$?
$\displaystyle A_{n+1}=3A_n+3B_n$
while it is easy to see that $\displaystyle A_3=6,B_n=2^n-2$.
