SOLUTION: Please assist me in arriving to the answer of this problem. The problem as stated from the book: Show that if you pick three socks from a drawer containing just blue socks and

Question 128145This question is from textbook Discrete Mathematics And Its Applications
: Please assist me in arriving to the answer of this problem.
The problem as stated from the book:
Show that if you pick three socks from a drawer containing just blue socks and black socks, you must get either a pair of blue socks or a pair of black socks.
Given hint by professor:
Either use contradiction or better yet try proof by cases.
I do not understand how to use proofs by contradiction. This question is from textbook Discrete Mathematics And Its Applications

Answer by ozymandias(9) (Show Source): You can put this solution on YOUR website!
Proof by contradiction is assuming that something assumed false CAN in fact be done and then show that this leads to a ridiculuous (paradoxical) outcome.

Assume it is possible to take 3 socks out of the drawer and NOT have a pair.
Then all three socks would be different colours.
But there are only two colours of socks in the drawer.
That's a contradiction.
Therefore the original assumpttion must be bogus.
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