Pascal's Triangle

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1. The row of Pascal’s Triangle containing just two ones is normally referred to as row 1. The solitary one at the top of the triangle is row zero. Row two contains the numbers 1,2 and 1 in that order.

What is the number in row 5 next to the one?

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2. What is the sum of all the numbers in row 4?

Correct Wrong

3. What is the sum of all the numbers in rows 0 to 6?

Correct Wrong

4. The sum of the numbers in a particular row add up to \( x \). What do the numbers in the row below this row add up to?

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5. A calculator can be used to find any number in Pascal’s Triangle given the row number and the position of the number from the left of the row [noting that the first number in a row is in position zero]. Click the HELP tab above for information about using a calculator for the following questions:

Use a calculator to find the number in row 20, position 4.

Correct Wrong

6. Use a calculator to find the number in row 41, position 5.

Correct Wrong

7. The number in row 27, position 3 can be represented as \( \begin{pmatrix}27\\3\\ \end{pmatrix} \)

Find \( \begin{pmatrix}27\\3\\ \end{pmatrix} \)

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8. Find \( \begin{pmatrix}53\\50\\ \end{pmatrix} \)

Correct Wrong

9. The calculation \( \begin{pmatrix}5\\3\\ \end{pmatrix} \) can be written as 5C3 (pronounced five choose three) and can be used to find the number ways of choosing three items from five.

How many ways are there of choosing 2 players from a team of 11?

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10. How many different ways can seven cakes be chosen from a tray containing ten cakes?

Correct Wrong

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Description of Levels

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Level 1 - Fill in the numbers on a blank triangular grid

Level 2 - Colour in the even numbers to produce a surprising pattern

Level 3 - Colour in the multiples of 3 to produce a surprising pattern

Level 4 - Colour in the remainders when dividing by four in different colours

Level 5 - Colour in sets of six connected hexagons that have given sums

Level 6 - Use a calculator to find particularly large numbers from Pascal's Triangle

Exam Style Questions - A collection of problems in the style of GCSE or IB/A-level exam paper questions (worked solutions are available for Transum subscribers).

More on this topic including lesson Starters, visual aids, investigations and self-marking exercises.

History of Mathematics It's good to look back at the famous mathematicians and their work.

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Using a Scientific Calculator

The function to work out a number in Pascal's Triangle appears as nCr where:

nCr Formula nCr button on calculator

Using a Graphic Display Calculator

With a GDC you can work out a whole row of Pascal's Triangle using the combinations function. Here is a screenshot of the TI Nspire.

Combinations function

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