Combinatory: Some Mathematical Connections

Abstract

In this article we present some connections between combinatorics and nursery rhymes, enigmas, cryptography and graph theory, the result of a qualitative research of a historical-bibliographic nature (FIORENTINI and LORENZATO, 2006) whose objective was to investigate historical aspects of combinatorics and the possible relationship between old issues with versions of contemporary issues. After resorting to authors such as Biggs (1979), Wilson and Watkins (2013) and analyzing the historical problems of combinatorics, we found that combinatorics can be explored in different contexts and be a motivational factor for the construction of mathematical concepts and formalizations. In addition, the approach to this content can occur through games or child's play, encouraging students to develop counting strategies.