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Or "How To Count": Permutations and Combinations..

The document discusses permutations and combinations. It explains that the number of permutations of n objects is n factorial (n!), which is the product of all integers from 1 to n. As an example, there are 5! = 120 ways to arrange 5 people from the set {a, b, c, d, e} in order. It also provides the formulas for calculating factorials of other numbers like 6!, 3!, 2!, 1!, and 0!.

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Malcolm
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21 views1 page

Or "How To Count": Permutations and Combinations..

The document discusses permutations and combinations. It explains that the number of permutations of n objects is n factorial (n!), which is the product of all integers from 1 to n. As an example, there are 5! = 120 ways to arrange 5 people from the set {a, b, c, d, e} in order. It also provides the formulas for calculating factorials of other numbers like 6!, 3!, 2!, 1!, and 0!.

Uploaded by

Malcolm
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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PERMUTATIONS and COMBINATIONS...

or “HOW TO COUNT”
n 1: Suppose we wish to arrange n = 5 people {a, b, c, d, e}, standing side by side, for
How many such distinct portraits (“permutations”) are possible?
abcde
There are 5 possible choices for which person stands in the first position (either a, b, c,
For each of these five possibilities, there are 4 possible choices left for who is in the next
For each of these four possibilities, there are 3 possible choices left for the next position,
Therefore, there are 5 × 4 × 3 × 2 × 1 = 120 distinct permutations. See Table 1.
er, 5 × 4 × 3 × 2 × 1 (or equivalently, 1 × 2 × 3 × 4 × 5), is denoted by the symbol “5!”
5 factorial”, so we can write the answer succinctly as 5! = 120.
The number of distinct PERMUTATIONS of n objects is "n factorial", denoted by
= 1 × 2 × 3 × ... × n, or equivalently,
n × (n-1) × (n-2) × ... × 2 × 1.
: 6! = 6 × 5 × 4 × 3 × 2 × 1
= 6 × 5!
= 6 × 120 (by previous calculation)
= 720
3! = 3 × 2 × 1 = 6
2! = 2 × 1 = 2
1! = 1
0! = 1, BY CONVENTION (It may not be obvious why, but there are good
mathematical reasons for it.)


: The number of distinct PERMUTATIONS of n objects is “n factorial”, denoted by
n! = 1 × 2 × 3 × ... × n, or equivalently,
= n × (n - 1) × (n - 2) × ... × 2 × 1.
Here, every different ordering
counts as a distinct permutation.
For instance, the ordering
(a,b,c,d,e) is distinct from
(c,e,a,d,b), etc.

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