# Combination Problem

• December 18th 2008, 04:19 PM
htdefiant
Combination Problem
So, let's say I am a wine producer and I have thirteen possible grapes to put into my wine. I can use only grape a, or I can use grape a, g, and h. In other words, I can use any number between 1 and 13 grapes to make the wine, and I can choose any 13 grapes to make those combinations.

What is the formula to do this? Do I need to use some kind of factorial?

Thanks.
• December 18th 2008, 09:02 PM
Jhevon
Quote:

Originally Posted by htdefiant
So, let's say I am a wine producer and I have thirteen possible grapes to put into my wine. I can use only grape a, or I can use grape a, g, and h. In other words, I can use any number between 1 and 13 grapes to make the wine, and I can choose any 13 grapes to make those combinations.

What is the formula to do this? Do I need to use some kind of factorial?

Thanks.

are you asking how many different kinds of wine you can make?
• December 19th 2008, 03:18 AM
htdefiant
Yes.
• December 19th 2008, 03:54 AM
Plato
There are $2^{13}-1$ nonempty subsets of a set of 13.
It is not clear, however, that this is the answer to you post.