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1580 CH 11.3 Student Notes

This document discusses combinations versus permutations and provides examples of how to calculate combinations using the combinations formula. It begins by defining a combination as an unordered selection of items where order does not matter and no items are repeated. It then introduces the combinations formula for calculating the number of combinations of n items taken r at a time as n!/(n-r)!r!. Several examples are provided to illustrate applying the combinations formula to problems involving selecting people, tickets, or other items without regard to order.

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50 views5 pages

1580 CH 11.3 Student Notes

This document discusses combinations versus permutations and provides examples of how to calculate combinations using the combinations formula. It begins by defining a combination as an unordered selection of items where order does not matter and no items are repeated. It then introduces the combinations formula for calculating the number of combinations of n items taken r at a time as n!/(n-r)!r!. Several examples are provided to illustrate applying the combinations formula to problems involving selecting people, tickets, or other items without regard to order.

Uploaded by

Luke Davis
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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11.

3 Combinations

Learning Objectives:

1. Be able to distinguish between permutation and combination problems.


2. Be able to solve problems involving combinations, using the combinations formula as
appropriate.

______________________________________________________________________________
Lecture Notes

Discovery

Consider the following groupings of the letters A, B, C, and D taken three at a time.

ABC ABD ACD BCD


ACB ADB ADC BDC
BAC BAD CAD CBD
BCA BDA CDA CDB
CAB DAB DAC DBC
CBA DBA DCA DCB

A) How many permutations are there?

B) How many groupings are there if the order of the selections do not matter?

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Definition

A ______________________________________ is an ordered arrangement of items such that


• All selections come from a single group of items;
• No item is selected more than once; and
• The order of arrangements do not matter.

Combinations of 𝑛 Things Taken 𝑟 At a Time

The number of combinations of 𝑛 items taken 𝑟 at a time, is


𝑛!
𝐶𝑛,𝑟 =
(𝑛 − 𝑟)! 𝑟!

Example 1: Two representatives from the 500 Emerald Eagles are to be chosen to speak to the
University President. In how many ways can this be done?

Example 2: Suppose a 5 card poker hand is dealt to you. In how many different ways can this be done?

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Example 3: Determine if combinations or permutations should be used to answer each of the following
questions; and then compute the counts. Some may use both or neither.
A) In how many ways can a chairperson, a vice-chairperson, a secretary, and a treasurer be chosen from
a group of 15 people, if one person cannot hold more than one position?

B) In how many ways can subcommittee of 4 people be chosen from a group of 15?

C) In how many ways can two kid’s names be picked out of a group of 4 kids to determine who gets the
last two identical pieces of pie?

D) There are 7 red tickets and 4 yellow tickets in a box. In how many ways can 5 red and 2 yellow tickets
be drawn from the box?

E) In how many ways can a five-question assessment be written if the first three questions have four
possible answer choices and the last two have two possible answer choices?

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Example 4: Answer each of the questions.
A) A political party has six persons from which to choose a presidential and vice presidential candidate.
How many different tickets are available to the voters?

B) An access code consists of two digits, selected from the six digits: 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8. Digits may be
repeated. How many distinct access codes are possible?

C) You have six quarters in your pocket and need two to pay for a soda. How many choices do you have
when deciding which two quarters to use?

Observations
1) Each of the above selects two items from a group of six.

2) Two of the above do not allow repeats.

3) Each of the above are different counts.

Example 5: From a standard 52-card deck, how many 5-card hands will have 2 clubs and 3 hearts?

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Example 6: A catering service offers 8 appetizers, 10 main courses, and 7 desserts. A banquet
committee is to select 3 appetizers, 4 main courses, and 2 desserts. How many ways can this be done?

Example 7: There are 8 standard classifications of blood type. An examination for prospective laboratory
technicians consists of having each candidate determine the type for 5 blood samples. How many
different examinations can be given if:
A) All of the test samples provided for the candidate are of a different blood-type?

B) Two or more of the test samples can have the same blood-type?

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