# Example: Pascal’s triangle and Sierpinski triangle

Published 2009-10-26 | Author: Paul Gaborit

Do you have a question regarding this example, TikZ or LaTeX in general? Just ask in the LaTeX Forum.
Oder frag auf Deutsch auf TeXwelt.de.

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
% Author : Paul Gaborit (2009)
% Title : Pascal's triangle and Sierpinski triangle
% Note : 17 lines maximum
\documentclass[landscape]{article}
\usepackage[landscape,margin=1cm]{geometry}
\pagestyle{empty}
\usepackage[T1]{fontenc}
\usepackage{lmodern}

\usepackage{tikz}
\begin{document}
\centering

\begin{tikzpicture}[x=13mm,y=9mm]
% some colors
\colorlet{even}{cyan!60!black}
\colorlet{odd}{orange!100!black}
\colorlet{back}{yellow!20!white}
% some styles
\tikzset{
box/.style={
minimum height=5mm,
inner sep=.7mm,
outer sep=0mm,
text width=10mm,
text centered,
font=\small\bfseries\sffamily,
text=#1!50!black,
draw=#1,
line width=.25mm,
top color=#1!5,
bottom color=#1!40,
rounded corners=2.3mm,
rotate=0,
},
}
% Pascal's triangle
% row #0 => value is 1
\node[box=odd] (p-0-0) at (0,0) {1};
\foreach \row in {1,...,16} {
% col #0 =&gt; value is 1
\node[box=odd] (p-\row-0) at (-\row/2,-\row) {1};
\pgfmathsetmacro{\value}{1};
\foreach \col in {1,...,\row} {
% iterative formula : val = precval * (row-col+1)/col
% (+ 0.5 to bypass rounding errors)
\pgfmathtruncatemacro{\value}{\value*((\row-\col+1)/\col)+0.5};
\global\let\value=\value
% position of each value
\coordinate (pos) at (-\row/2+\col,-\row);
% odd color for odd value and even color for even value
\pgfmathtruncatemacro{\rest}{mod(\value,2)}
\ifnum \rest=0
\node[box=even] (p-\row-\col) at (pos) {\value};
\else
\node[box=odd] (p-\row-\col) at (pos) {\value};
\fi
% for arrows and plus sign
\ifnum \col<\row
\node[plus,above=0mm of p-\row-\col]{+};
\pgfmathtruncatemacro{\prow}{\row-1}
\pgfmathtruncatemacro{\pcol}{\col-1}
\fi
}
}
\begin{pgfonlayer}{background}
% filling and drawing with the same color to enlarge background
\path[draw=back,fill=back,line width=5mm,rounded corners=2.5mm]
(  p-0-0.north west) -- (  p-0-0.north east) --
(p-16-16.north east) -- (p-16-16.south east) --
( p-16-0.south west) -- ( p-16-0.north west) --
cycle;
\end{pgfonlayer}
\end{tikzpicture}

\end{document}
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%


• #1 Marcus, October 1, 2010 at 6:22 p.m.

Excellent! That line

\global\let\value=\value

was just what I needed to implement a Runge-Kutta type numerical integration for solving ODEs in my tikz-pictures.

Thank you!

• #2 olufemi opeyemi oyadare, January 27, 2012 at 4:13 p.m.

i have a method of proving the fermat's last theorem via the pascal triangle. do you want to have a look?

• #3 Kristofer, July 26, 2012 at 2:31 a.m.

Nice illustration! You should just remove that last row as I think it's a little bit confusing since it makes it less clear that it actually is the Sierpinski triangle we have here.

olufemi opeyemi oyadare, really? You have to show us.

• #4 olufemi opeyemi oyadare, October 3, 2012 at 5:47 p.m.

If you wish to have a look at the proof, google for 'newtonian triangles, for the complete paper.