document.write( "Question 967817: I want to put a tennis schedule together. There will be 12 players or six double teams. I need a schedule that in 11 matches no one plays anyone twice. \n" ); document.write( "
Algebra.Com's Answer #591556 by Theo(13342)\"\" \"About 
You can put this solution on YOUR website!
you have 6 double teams.
\n" ); document.write( "out of those 6 double teams, you can make c(6,2) combinations where each pair is different.\r
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\n" ); document.write( "\n" ); document.write( "c(6,2) is equal to 6! / (2! * 4!) which is equal to (6*5)/2 = 15 different combinations where order is not important.\r
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\n" ); document.write( "\n" ); document.write( "order is not important means that ab and ba count as one game, not two.
\n" ); document.write( "if order was important, they would count as two games.\r
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\n" ); document.write( "\n" ); document.write( "let the teams be labeled team a, b, c, d, e, f.\r
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\n" ); document.write( "\n" ); document.write( "the 15 possible different combinations where order is not important are:\r
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\n" ); document.write( "\n" ); document.write( "ab
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\n" ); document.write( "ad
\n" ); document.write( "ae
\n" ); document.write( "af\r
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\n" ); document.write( "\n" ); document.write( "bc
\n" ); document.write( "bd
\n" ); document.write( "be
\n" ); document.write( "bf\r
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\n" ); document.write( "\n" ); document.write( "cd
\n" ); document.write( "ce
\n" ); document.write( "cf\r
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\n" ); document.write( "\n" ); document.write( "de
\n" ); document.write( "df\r
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\n" ); document.write( "\n" ); document.write( "ef\r
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\n" ); document.write( "\n" ); document.write( "if you want every team to play every other team where no teams plays the same team twice, then you can schedule 15 matches and that will do it.\r
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\n" ); document.write( "\n" ); document.write( "otherwise, if you can only schedule 11 matches, then pick any 11 out of the 15.\r
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\n" ); document.write( "\n" ); document.write( "you might want to count how many games each team is in so you can even it up as much as possible.\r
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\n" ); document.write( "\n" ); document.write( "for example:\r
\n" ); document.write( "\n" ); document.write( "ab counts as one for a and one for b.
\n" ); document.write( "bc counts as one for b and one for c.
\n" ); document.write( "total for a is 1
\n" ); document.write( "total for b is 2
\n" ); document.write( "total for c is 1.
\n" ); document.write( "cd counts as one for c and one for d.
\n" ); document.write( "total for c is now 2.
\n" ); document.write( "total for d is 1.
\n" ); document.write( "etc.\r
\n" ); document.write( "\n" ); document.write( "the goal is to even up the number of games as much as possible.
\n" ); document.write( "you won't be able to make each team play exactly the same number of games, but you can make them more or less even.\r
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\n" ); document.write( "\n" ); document.write( "one possible arrangement would be:\r
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\n" ); document.write( "\n" ); document.write( "ab
\n" ); document.write( "ac
\n" ); document.write( "af
\n" ); document.write( "bc
\n" ); document.write( "bd
\n" ); document.write( "be
\n" ); document.write( "cd
\n" ); document.write( "ce
\n" ); document.write( "de
\n" ); document.write( "df
\n" ); document.write( "ef\r
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\n" ); document.write( "\n" ); document.write( "you have a count of:
\n" ); document.write( "a = 3
\n" ); document.write( "b = 4
\n" ); document.write( "c = 4
\n" ); document.write( "d = 4
\n" ); document.write( "e = 4
\n" ); document.write( "f = 3\r
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\n" ); document.write( "\n" ); document.write( "add them up and they total 22.
\n" ); document.write( "divide that by 2 and you get 11 games.\r
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\n" ); document.write( "\n" ); document.write( "that's about as even as you'll be able to get it with 11 games.\r
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