Journal of the Mathematics Council of the Alberta Teachers’ Association
Volume 38 Issue 2, May 2001
49 – 50
Sandra M. Pulver
The Pigeonhole Principle, also known as the Dirichlet Principle, states the following: if .xy + l pigeons are divided evenly into y holes with x pigeons in each hole, then at least one hole must hold x + l pigeons. For example, if 20 I pigeons (xy + l) are divided evenly into 100 pigeon holes (y), then there are 2 pigeons (x) in each hole, except one in which there must be 3 pigeons (x + l ). (Even if the pigeons are not divided evenly into the pigeonholes, the principle still holds true.)
