CONTENTS

Article 1:
Learn when to “Add” and “Multiply in
Permutation and Combination Questions

Article 2:
Fool-proof method to Differentiate between
Permutation & Combination Questions

Article 3:
3 Deadly mistakes you must avoid in Permutation
and Combination
 Learn when to “Add” and “Multiply” in
Permutation & Combination questions

Why should you read this article?

• Are you someone who is confused whether to add or multiply the cases while solving
permutation and combination questions?
• Do you often get questions incorrect simply because you added entities instead of
multiplying them?

If the answer to any of the above questions is yes, then in this e-GMAT article you will learn
how to get rid of the confusion by using “AND” & “OR” on these questions.

What will you learn from this article?

In this e-GMAT article, we will:

1. Dive into the details of the application of “AND” & “OR” in permutation and
combination.
2. Discuss the attributes that AND – OR present through a few GMAT like questions
3. Help you to solidify the understanding of the above two keywords and at the end of the
article, we will also provide you a few practice questions to test your understanding.

When to Add – Usage of the keyword “OR”

While solving any P and C question, the most frequent confusion that students have is: “Do I
need to add up all the cases or do I need to multiply all the cases?”

Let’s understand what I am trying to say with the help of two questions!

• Amy has 3 different types of shoes and 2 different types of sandals. Whenever she goes
out, she likes to wear either a shoe or a sandal. In how many ways can she decide what to
wear?
• Joe has 3 different types of shirts and 2 different types of trousers. Whenever he goes
out, he likes to wear a shirt and a trouser. In how many ways can he decide what to
wear?

Look at these two situations. In both these cases, the numbers are the same. The only difference
is that Amy will choose either shoes OR sandals to wear and in the second case Joe is going to
choose both a shirt AND a trouser.
Let us focus on Amy’s situation first, and then we will come to Joe.

Assuming that she has red, green, and black shoes, and she has brown and blue sandals, let us list
down all the possible options that she has.

1. She can wear Red Shoes OR

2. She can wear Green shoes OR
3. She can wear Black Shoes OR
4. She can wear Brown Sandals OR
5. She can wear Blue Sandals

Notice how we have used the word OR after each and every case. The OR here emphasizes on
the fact that Amy does not have the option to wear two different kinds of things at the same time!
She needs to choose only 1 of these.

Thus, the answer, in this case, will be 5.

Now let us use the keyword approach (OR) to solve this question easily!

Keyword Approach by e-GMAT

Look at the question once again:

• Amy has 3 different types of shoes and 2 different types of sandals. Whenever she goes
out, she likes to wear either a shoe OR a sandal. In how many ways can she decide what
to wear?
o Notice the OR that I have highlighted in this question.

• Whenever you read a question, look for the keyword OR or AND. While looking for the
keyword, focus on what we need to find out.
 o In this case, we need to find the number of ways in which she can wear a shoe
OR a sandal.
o Since the word OR is used here, we can conclude that both the events cannot
happen together.
 By event I mean, Amy cannot wear Shoe, and Sandal together.

Whenever we have a situation in which two events cannot occur simultaneously, we simply add
all the cases. Thus, in this case, we will say:

•Total possible cases for Amy = She will wear shoes OR she will wear Sandals
oNumber of ways she can wear shoes = 3
oNumber of ways she can wear Sandals = 2
•Therefore, total possible cases = 3 OR 2 = 3 + 2 = 5

Takeaway by e-GMAT experts

1- Whenever we come across a situation involving 2 or more events, and occurrence of
one event does not affect the occurrence of the other event, i.e., both of the events cannot
occur simultaneously, then, in that case, we will simply add up all the events!

2- Look for the word OR in the question while figuring out what you need to find out and
if OR is present then that means you need to add up the events.

When to Multiply – Usage of Keyword “AND”

Now let us look at Joe’s case.

Assuming that he has red, green, and a black shirt, and he has brown and blue trousers, let us list
down all the possible options that he has.

1. He can wear Red Shirt AND Brown Trousers

2. He can wear Red Shirt AND Blue Trousers
3. He can wear Green shirt AND Brown Trousers
4. He can wear Green shirt AND Blue Trousers
5. He can wear Black shirt AND Brown Trousers
6. He can wear Black shirt AND Blue Trousers
Notice how I have used the word AND after each and every case.
The AND here emphasizes on the fact that Joe has to wear both shirt AND trousers at the same
time!

We cannot imagine a scenario, where he wears just a shirt OR just a trouser.

From the above cases, we can see that he has 6 different options for wearing a shirt and a trouser.

Now let use the keyword approach (AND) to solve this question easily! ?

Let’s use the Keyword “AND”

Look at the question once again:

• Joe has 3 different types of shirts and 2 different types of trousers. Whenever he goes
out, he likes to wear a shirt AND a trouser. In how many ways can he decide what to
wear?
o Notice the AND that I have highlighted in this question.

• In this case also focus on what we need to find out.

o In this case, we need to find the number of ways he can wear a shirt AND a
trouser.
o Since the word AND is used here, we can conclude that both the events need to
happen together.
 Which means he needs to wear the shirt and trouser together.

Whenever we have a situation in which two events can happen simultaneously, we simply
“multiply” all the cases.
Thus, in this case, we can say:
 •Total possible cases for Joe = He will wear a Shirt AND he will wear Trousers
oNumber of ways he can wear a shirt = 3 ( Red OR Green OR Black) [ Keyword
OR: hence addition]
oNumber of ways he can wear trousers = 2 (Blue OR Brown)

•Therefore, total possible cases = 3 AND 2 = 3 x 2 = 6

Takeaway by e-GMAT experts

1- Please remember that whenever we come across a situation involving 2 or more events
and each event can happen simultaneously, i.e., event 1, event 2, event 3 and so on, all
can happen simultaneously.
Then, in that case, we will simply MULTIPLY up all the events!

2- Look for the word AND in the question while figuring out what you need to find out,
and if AND is present, then that means you need to multiply the events.

What to do when AND or OR keyword is not present?

Now, there could be a situation when the word AND or OR is not explicitly mentioned in the
question.
What should we do then? Let us understand this with the help of 3 examples:

e-GMAT Example 1

Q-In the above diagram, in how many ways can you go from Point A to point D?
Solution
In the question and diagram, you can see that there is no mention of the word AND or OR, so
what should we do?

• Well, we will simply look at the each and every end point and figure out what are we
exactly doing.
• So, think, in how many ways can we go from point A to B?
o We can go in one way, right?
o So, let us just write A -> B : 1 way

• Now, when we want to go from B to C, we can go via X OR Y.

o Notice how we are using the word OR here.
o We know that we cannot simultaneously go via both the routes. And thus, we
need to use the word OR here.
 Thus, total number of ways to go from B to C = 2
 B ->X ->C OR B->Y->C = 2 ways

• Lastly, we want to go to our final destination D, we can go via P OR Q

o In this case also, we are using the word OR.
o Hence, we will simply ADD all the cases and get C->D = 2 ways.

• So, now we know that we can go from A to B in 1 way, then from B to C in 2 ways and
from C to D in 2 ways.
o Now, ask yourself, should we add these cases or multiply?
o Can we reach from A to D by going through A to B or B to C or C to D?
 No, we cannot, right?
 We need to go from A to B AND then from B to C AND finally from C
to D to reach our destination.

• Thus, total cases possible are = 1 x 2 x 2 = 4 ways

e-GMAT Example 2

Q-How many 3 digits even numbers can be created using the digits 1,2,3, 4 and 5 without
repetition of digits?

Solution
This question does not mention the keywords, AND or OR.
Hence, we will try to figure out what the question is asking.

Any 3-digit number can be represented as:

• We have to make a 3-digit number.

o Now think, can we make a three-digit number by just filling the Units place OR
the tens place OR the hundreds place?
 No, we cannot, Right?
o Thus, we have to fill the units place AND the tens place AND the hundreds
place to get the three-digit number.
o Notice, we used the keyword AND here. Hence, we will multiply all the cases

 Thus,

• We have to form a 3 digit even number.

o Hence, the units digit of the number must be even.
o Among the given digits: 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5, the units can be filled with 2 digits.
 Either 2 OR 4.
 Can you see the usage of the keyword OR here?
o Hence, the number of ways to fill the units place= 2
 • Now, we have filled the units digit to take care of the even nature of the number.
o We have 4 digits remaining – 1 even and 3 odd.
o The tens place can be filled with either 1 OR 3 OR 5 OR the remaining number
between (2/4).
 Thus, total ways to fill tens place= 4 ways.

• Now, we only have to fill the last digit and we have 3 digits remaining.
o Are you now able to visualise that we will use OR to select 1 among the 3
digits?
 We can select either the 1st remaining digit OR the 2nd remaining digit
OR the 3rd remaining digit
 We used the keyword OR here. Hence, we will add the cases.
• Thus, total ways to fill tens place= 3 ways.
• As discussed, we need to multiply all these 3 individual cases to get the total number of
ways in which the number can be formed.
o Hence total ways= 3*4*2=24 ways

Let us come to the last question of this e-GMAT article.

e-GMAT Example 3

Q- A committee of 2 members is to be formed from a panel of 4 male and 3 female members of

a club.
In how many ways can the committee be formed?

Solution
You should now start thinking a step ahead to find the use of AND-/OR in such problems.

Let us find out how we can form the committee of 2 members in the above question.
 • We can select either 2 males OR 2 females OR 1 male AND 1 female to form the
committee.
o Look for the keywords- AND and OR in the above statement.
o Now it is easy, we know that we add the number of cases when we have an OR,
and, we multiply the cases when we have an AND.
o Total ways= ways to select 2 males + ways to select 2 females + ways to select
1 male * ways to select 1 female

Let us find in how many we can select 2 males, 2 females and 1 male and 1 female.

• We have 4 males:
o We can select 2 males from 4 males in 4c2 ways and,
o We can select 1 male from 4 males in 4c1 ways.

• We have 3 females:
o We can select 2 females in 3c2 ways and,
o We can select 1 females in 3c1 ways.

Thus, total ways= 4c2+ 3c2+ 4c1*3c1 = 6+3+4*3=21

Thus, the committee can be formed in 21 ways.

Takeaway from this article

1. Specific keywords can be the X-factor in solving PNC questions. You can trust them,
but at the same time apply common sense just to be sure you are on the right path.
2. Always try to figure out after reading the question whether the events are dependent or
independent. Making this inference will help you solve the question more efficiently.
3. Whenever we have a situation where OR is involved, please ADD up all the events.
4. Whenever we have a situation where AND is involved, please MULTIPLY all the
events,
5. Whenever the keyword is not available, always try to jot down all the events first and
then decide whether you need them together or independently.
 Fool-proof method to Differentiate between
Permutation & Combination Questions

Highlights of the previous article

In the previous article, we discussed:
• When to add and multiply by the keyword approach in Permutation and combination
question.
• How to solve the permutation and combination question when keywords are not
present.

You can read the previous article here: Learn when to “Add” and “Multiply”
in Permutation & Combination questions
With the basic understanding of AND-OR keywords, let us dive into the advanced concept of-
combination and permutation. Then we will apply the learnings to solve few GMAT-like
questions.

Agenda of the article

In this article, we will discuss:
• How to figure out when to apply combination and when to apply permutation.
• Keyword approach to identify the combination or permutation type of questions.
• How to visualize a permutation and combination question if keywords are not given.

We will also provide few GMAT like practice questions to test the understanding.
A general case
In most of the p and c questions, we arrive at a point where we need to select or arrange a few
things and many students fall prey to the same mistake of applying selection in place of
arrangement and vice-versa.

To clarify this confusion, let us understand two simple cases:

1. From 3 players, A, B, and C, how many doubles team can be formed?
2. From 3 letters, A, B, and C, how many 2-digit words can be formed?

Do both the examples looks same to you???

Well, the examples are not same.

• In example 1, the team (A B) is same as the team (B A).

• While, in example 2, the word AB is not same as word BA.
o Thus, in the first case, arrangement of the “team members” does not affect the
team composition. But, in the second case, the arrangement of the letters can give
us two different words.

This simple example clearly shows that the understanding of combination and permutation can
help to decide when arrangement matters and when selection matters.

Combination
Let us understand the concept of combination by solving example 1- “From 3 players, A, B, and
C, how many doubles team can be formed?”

From 3 players A, B, and C, the teams of 2-players can be:

 • Team AB
• Team AC
• Team BC

Thus, we can have only 3 doubles teams from 3 players.

Now, instead of solving this manually, let us apply the keyword approach to solve this question.

Keyword approach
Let us list all the cases in which a doubles team can be formed.
• Select A and select B
• Select A and select C
• Select B and select C

Can you notice the keyword- “SELECT”, in all the cases??

In all the above cases, the selection of 2 players is same as the combination of 2 players only.
Therefore, we can infer that the keyword select is used for a combination question.

Now, per our understanding, the formula to select ‘r’ things from ‘n’ things, is nCrnCr, which is
equal to n![(n−r)!∗r!]n![(n−r)!∗r!].

Thus, going by the above formula, we can conclude that the number of ways to select 2 players
from 3 players is 3C23C2= 3![(3−2)!∗2!]3![(3−2)!∗2!] = 3 ways.

Can you see that getting answer by nCrnCr formula is actually easier than manually counting
all the cases??

Let us look at some frequently used keywords that imply a combination question.

Important keywords to identify a combination question

Some of the important keywords are:
• Select
• Choose
• Pick
• Combination
Whenever you read a question, look for the above keywords as these are the useful indicators
that clearly tells us that the question is a combination question.

Let us see the application of the above keywords in 2 practice questions.

e-GMAT Example 1

Q--In a society of 10 members, we have to select a committee of 4 members. As the owner of

the society, John, is already a member of the committee. In how many ways the committee can be
formed.

Solution
Notice the keyword- SELECT in the question.
Thus, this is a combination question. And for selection, we apply the nCrnCr formula to arrive at
the answer.

• Now, in the question, we are asked to select a committee of 4 members from 10

members and John is already a part of the committee.
o Thus, we have to select 3 members among 9 members.

• By the application of nCrnCr formula, we can select 3 members from 9 members in 9C39C3
ways which is equal to 9!6!∗3!9!6!∗3! = 84 ways

Now, let us solve a slightly difficult question.

e-GMAT Example 2
Q--An analyst will recommend a combination of 3 industrial stocks, 2 transportation stocks,
and 2 utility stocks. If the analyst can choose from 5 industrial stocks, 4 transportation stocks,
and 3 utility stocks, how many different combinations of 7 stocks are possible?
Solution
Notice the highlighted keywords- CHOOSE and COMBINATIIONS.
Now, we can easily identify that this is selection question, right??

The analyst needs to form different combination of 7 different stocks. Can you visualize how can
he do that?

Approach:

• He needs to select 3 industrial stocks out of 5 industrial stock AND,

• He needs to select 2 transportation stocks out of 4 transportation stocks AND,
• He needs to select 2 utility stocks out of 3 utility stocks.
o Notice the keyword ‘AND’ which indicates all the above 3 events have to occur
simultaneously.
o Thus,

By the application of nCrnCr formula, we can write:

• 3 industrial stocks out of 5 industrial stock can be selected in 5C35C3=10 ways.
• 2 transportation stocks out of 4 transportation stocks can be selected in 4C24C2=6
ways.
• 2 utility stocks out of 3 utility stocks can be selected in3C23C2=3 ways.

Thus, the total ways to select 7 stocks = 10*6*3 =180 ways.

Key Takeaways
1- Keep an eye on the important keywords like- select, choose, combination in the
question stem.
2- The number of ways to select ‘r’ things among ‘n’ things = nCrnCr.

Now, let us see how permutation works.

Permutation
Let us understand the concept of permutation by solving example 2-“From 3 letters, A, B, and C,
how many 2-letter words can be formed?”

The 2-letter words that can be formed from 3 letters A, B, and C are:
• AB
• BA
• AC
• CA
• BC
• CB
Thus, we can form 6 different words.

Can you observe that in combination, the selection of A and B gives only 1 team i.e. AB?
However, the selection of A and B gives 2 different words i.e. AB and BA.

This happens because the order of arrangement in case of words matters. But while creating
teams, the team composition does not change whether we say AB or BA.
This arrangement is known as permutation.

Can you notice the usage of keyword- ARRANGEMENT in permutation??

• If not, then keep note: The word arrangement in a question implies a permutation question.

Now, instead of solving this manually, let us apply the keyword approach to solve this question.

Keyword approach
Let us form all the cases in a different way.

In this way, we will first select the two letters and then we will arrange the selected letters.

• Select A and Select B

o We now have two letters, A and B and we can arrange them in two different
ways.
 A then B
 B then A

• Select A and Select C

o We now have two letters, A and C and we can arrange them in two different
ways.
 A then C
 C then A

• Select B and Select C

 o We now have two letters, B and C and we can arrange them in two different
ways.
 B then C
 C then B

By counting all the cases, total 2 letter words= 6

Per our understanding, the formula to arrange ‘r’ things from ‘n’ things, is nPrnPr which is equal
to n!(n−r)!n!(n−r)!.
Thus, going by the above formula, we can conclude that different 2-letter word= 3P23P2=
3!(3−2)!3!(3−2)!= 6 words.

Interesting fact:

• From the above example, can you see that permutation is same as doing selection first
AND then doing arrangement?? (Notice- keyword: AND)
• Let us understand this mathematically
o nPrnPr = n!(n−r)!n!(n−r)!= n!(n−r)!∗r!n!(n−r)!∗r! * r!= nCrnCr* r!

o Thus, we can simply write:

• Hence, Permutation= nCrnCr * r!

Let us look at some frequently used keywords that imply a permutation question.

Important keywords to identify a permutation question

Some of the important keywords are:
• Arrangements
• Ordered Ways
• Unique

Keep an eye on the above keywords in a question.

Whenever you get a question having the above three keywords, it will imply a permutation
question.
Let us solve 1 question to understand the application of keywords.

e-GMAT Example 1

Q--Each signal that a certain ship can make is comprised of 3 different flags hanging vertically
in a particular order. How many unique signals can be made by using 4 different flags?

Solution

Method-1) Keyword Approach:

Notice the keyword, UNIQUE, in the question.

• Thus, we only have to apply nPrnPr formula to arrive at the answer.
• Hence, number of unique signals= 4P34P3 = 24

Method-2)

We can first select 3 different flags and then we can arrange them.
• Number of unique signals= 4C34C3 * 3! = 4*3! = 24

Key Takeaways
1- Look for the important keyword- arrangements, ordered ways, and unique to identify
the permutation question.
2- The number of ways to arrange ‘r’ things from ‘n’ things = nPrnPr.
3- An arrangement question can also be solved by first choosing ‘r’ things among ‘n’
things and then arranging all the ‘r’ things.
Visualizing the scenario when keywords are not present
At times, you can get a question that implicitly uses the application of permutation and
combination. So, how do we determine whether the question is a combination question or a
permutation question??
Let us understand this with the help of some examples.

e-GMAT Example 1
Q--There are 8 teams in a certain league and each team plays with the other teams exactly
once. What is the total number of games played in the league?

Solution
This question does not include the important keywords then how should we solve this
question????
• When we cannot find any keyword to identify whether the question is combination type
or permutation type then we need to visualize the information provided to us in the
question stem.

Let us visualize the information given in the question and see if we can identify the type of the
question.

We are given:
• There are 8 teams in a league.

We know that each game is played between two teams.

• The match between team A and team B is same as the match between team B and team
A.
• Thus, for each match to happen we must select 2 teams only and in this case, the
arrangement will not matter.

Can you observe we arrived at the keyword SELECT by dissecting the given information
carefully and making meaningful inferences?

Now, we only have to find the number of ways of selecting 2 teams from 8 teams.
• Hence, total number of games played= 8C28C2=28 matches

Let us now increase the difficulty a bit and solve the next question.

e-GMAT Example 2

Q-- In a board meeting of the company, there are 10 members. In how many ways 2 members
can get the mandate for the post of CEO and COO of the company.
Solution
We do not have any keyword in the question to directly identify the type of question and apply
nCrnCr and nPrnPr formula.
Thus, the next step to solve such type of questions is to visualize the scenario presented in the
question.

• The question is about getting mandate for the post of CEO and COO of the company.
o Let us suppose A and B are the top 2 vote-getters and hence, can get the
mandate for the post of either CEO or COO.
o Now, there can be 2 cases in which A and B can get the mandate.
 A-> CEO and B-> COO
 B-> CEO and A-> COO

• Can you see we have 2 different arrangements for the selection of 2 members only?
o Thus, the arrangement after selection of 2 members implies a permutation
question.

Thus, we can find the answer in 2 ways:

Method:1) By applying the formula nPrnPr

• The number of ways in which 2 members from 10 members can get mandate for the
post of CEO and COO of the company = 10P210P2 = 90

Method:2)

By first selecting the 2 members from 10 members and then arranging the 2 members:
 • Hence, total ways= Total ways of combination of 2 members * arranging the 2
members
• Total ways= 10C210C2 *r! = 45*2 =90

Key takeaways from the article

• Always keep an eye on the keywords used in the question. The keywords can help you
get the answer easily.
• The keywords like- selection, choose, pick, and combination- indicates that it is a
combination question.
• The keywords like- arrangement, ordered, unique- indicates that it is a permutation
question.
• If keywords are not given, then visualize the scenario presented in the question and then
think in terms of combination and arrangement.
 3 Deadly mistakes you must avoid in Permutation
and Combination

This is the 3rd and the final article in the series of Permutation and Combination.

If you did not read our previous article, we recommend that you read them. The first 2 article
will help you to get your basic in place.

A brief summary of the previous articles

• The logical way to apply addition or multiplication with the help of keywords
• Frequently used keywords to identify a combination-selection question
o Such as AND, OR, SELECT, CHOOSE, PICK, ARRANGE, ORDER etc
• How to approach a PnC question when keywords are not given.

In this article, we will explain 3 most common mistakes that a student makes in PnC questions
and along with that we will also explain how to avoid these mistakes.

Multiple Counting: Common Error Type 1

Let us look at a very simple example to understand a common mistake.

There are 10 books on a shelf, of which 4 are paperbacks and 6 are hardbacks. How many
possible selections of 5 books from the shelf contain at least one paperback and at least one
hardback? (OG question)
A) 75
B) 120
C) 210
D) 246
E) 252

Common Approach Used By Students:

We need to select 5 books such that there is at least one paperback book and at least one
hardback book.
Hmm…so let us select 1 paperback and 1 hardback first. That will help us ensure that I have one
book of each type. Then I will worry about selecting the extra 1 book from the remaining 8
books.
• Hence, the answer should be 4C14C1*6C16C1*8C28C2.

This is how usually a lot of student approach this question and then wonder if this is the correct
way to solve the question or not.
So, think, is this the right way to solve this question?
NO!!!!!!!! It is not.

The answer is incorrect, and it is incorrect because we double counted some cases.

What is Double Counting or Multiple Counting?

Let us take a small example to understand what double counting is.
• We have 4 books of which 2 are paperbacks, A and B, and 2 are hardbacks, C and D.
We have to find in how many ways we can select 3 books such that we have at least 1
paperback book and at least 1 hardback book.

Let us list down the various combination when we solve the above example by
2C12C1*2C12C1*2C12C1=8
Notice that same color-coded cells in the 4th column.
• The selection books ACB and BCA are same.
• The selection books ACD and ADC are same.
• The selection books ADB and BDA are same.
• The selection books BCD and BDC are same.
Thus, we repeated 4 cases and that is why we were getting the wrong answer to the actual
question.
We call this counting of some extra cases as double or multiple counting.

How to avoid Double Counting in such cases?

In questions like these, we have two categories: Hardback and Paperback.
And we need a “mix” of both the types.
In scenarios like these where there are multiple categories and we need a mix of all the types, in
such situations, we will first jot down all the possible cases in which all the types can be mixed
or collected together.

• Thus, in this case we will write down all the possible ways of having paperback and
hardback books (keeping in mind the constraint: we need at least one book of each type)
o 3 books can be
 • 2 Paperback and 1 Hardback
• 1 Paperback and 2 Hardback

o Thus, Total possible ways of collecting 3 books =

 (2 paperback AND 1 hardback) OR (1 paperback AND 2 hardback)

• Possible way= 2c22c2*2c12c1+ 2c12c1* 2c22c2= 1*2 + 2*1= 4

Wow!!! We now know the correct approach to solve this type of question.

Now here is a small exercise for you:

1. Let’s say you need to select 3 vehicles from 5 cars and 4 bicycles, in which we need at
least 1 car and 1 bicycle. In how many ways can you do it?

Will you write it as:

a. 5C15C1 * 4C14C1 * 7C17C1 OR
Will you write is as:
b. Cases Possible: 2 Cars & 1 Bicycle OR 1 Car & 2 Bicycles = 5C25C2 *
4C14C1 + 5C15C1 * 4C24C2

If you have chosen Option B. Then Congrats you have successfully learned how to avoid double
counting in such cases!

Let us now solve our actual question again.

There are 10 books on a shelf, of which 4 are paperbacks and 6 are hardbacks. How many
possible selections of 5 books from the shelf contain at least one paperback and at least one
hardback? (OG question)

A) 75
B) 120
C) 210
D) 246
E) 252

Solution
We need to select 5 books such that there is at least one paperback book and at least one
hardback book.

We can select 5 books in various ways:

• 1 Paperback book and 4 hardback books Or,
• 2 Paperback books and 3 hardback books Or,
• 3 Paperback books and 2 hardback books Or,
• 4 Paperback books and 1 hardback book.

Key Takeaways
1. This simple example elaborates the most common mistake by a majority of students
i.e. Double counting.
2. In scenarios like these where there are multiple categories and we need a mix of all the
types, in such situations, we will first jot down all the possible cases in which all the
types can be mixed or collected together.

Let us see another case where most of the students apply double counting: The case when certain
objects are identical.

The Curious Case of Identical Objects – Common Error

Type 2
While solving PnC questions, we may come across a few questions where we might be asked to
select and arrange a few objects which are identical in nature.
For example, you might be asked to arrange 5 identical books, or you might be asked to arrange
the word “MISSISSIPPI”, in which there are few letters which are identical (the letters I, S and P
are present in this word multiple times).

Students have the tendency to make mistake whenever they come across such cases. And thus,
we should learn the best and full-proof way to solve such questions!

Let us understand how to tackle these situations with the help of an example.

Assume a scenario where we have 3 different letters- A, B, C and we need to form 3 letter words.
 • Total 3 different letter words = 3! = 6 words

• And these are the following cases:

o ABC
o ACB
o BAC
o BCA
o CAB
o CBA

Now, let’s play with these words!

Tell, me how many unique words will we get if we replace C by A??

If we replace C with A in the above example, we will get:

• Total words=ABA+AAB+BAA+BAA+AAB+ABA= 2(AAB+ABA+BAA) = 2!
(AAB+ABA+BAA) = 2! * 3

Now, notice that there are only 3 unique words possible: AAB, ABA, and BAA. However, we
have 2! multiplied with it in above equation.
Now, what should we do to get the actual answer which is 3??

• We are getting multiple case, because we wrote AAB twice, ABA twice and BBA
twice.
• And we wrote the twice, because while jotting the cases, we arrange AA in AAB, ABA
and BBA twice or 2! times.
• Thus, to get the actual answer, we need to divide 2! *3 by 2!.
• AAB+ABA+BAA= 6/2!6/2! = Total ways when all the letters were different/ repetitive
counting of the identical letters.

Now, let us extend this idea further to find the number of different words by using three A’s, two
B’s.

Since we know that we will again get repetitive cases because of three identical A’s and two
identical B’s.

• Total words= (Total ways when all the 5 letters are different) / (multiple counting of the
identical letters)

• Total ways= 5! / (Repetitive counting of three A’s and repetitive counting of Two B’s)
o Three A give only 1 word, but we counted extra cases by assuming all three A’s
to be different. Hence, we will divide by 3!
o Similarly, we counted extra cases by assuming the two B’s to be different.
Hence, we will divide by 2!

• Total ways= 5!/3!∗2!5!/3!∗2!

Extending the idea further, we can generalize that:

The number of arrangements of n objects with p1 identical objects of one kind, p2

identical objects of second kind, p3 identical objects of third kind and so on is equal to:
n!(p1!∗p2!∗p3!∗…..)n!(p1!∗p2!∗p3!∗…..).

e-GMAT Example 1
Q--In how many different ways can the letters of the word SINISTER be arranged such that two
S are never together?

Solution
SINISTER is an 8-letter word with S and I repeated two times.
We want the cases in which two S are never together and how can we do that??

We can solve the question in two ways:

• By adding all the cases when two S are separated has at least 1 letter between them.
o Ways when (Two S separated by 1 letter+ Two S separated by 2
letter+…..+Two S separated by 6 letters)

• By removing all the cases in which Two S are together from the total cases.
o Total cases- Number of cases in which both the S are together.

It is very clear that 2nd method is easy. Thus, we only need to find:
• Total cases in which SINISTER can be arranged and,
• Number of cases in which both the S are together.

Total cases:

SINISTER can be arranged in 8!/2!∗2!8!/2!∗2! = 10080 ways

Number of cases in which both the S are together:

Two S always has to be together, so we can group together as SS.

We can assume SS to be one letter as they will only be arranged like a letter with the other 6
letters.
• Thus, total words = 6 letters other than S+ 1 group of two S

However, SS is actually a 2-letter word which can arrange in itself.

Thus, Total ways when both the S are together= arrangement of 7 letters * arrangements in the
group SS
 • Total ways= 7!/2! * 1(SS can be arranged in only 1 way)
• Total ways when both the S are together= 7!/2! = 2520 ways [we are dividing by 2!
because there are 2 Is which will give us repetitive cases]
Thus, total cases in which two S are never together= 10080- 2520= 7560 ways.

e-GMAT Example 2
Q-- If we have 9 different points in a plane out of which 4 are collinear. How many different
straight lines we can draw.

Solution
To make a straight line we need to select 2 points among 9 points.
However, only 1 straight line can pass through from the 4 collinear points.
• Can you visualize that this is similar to the case of identical objects??
• In case of similar object, we only have 1 arrangement and in case of collinear points we
only have 1 line.

In this case, all the lines are not repeating, only the lines whose both the points lies on 4 collinear
points are repeating.

Thus, we can get the line in 3 different ways:

• Select any two points from 5 non-collinear points Or,
• Select one point from 5 non-collinear points and another from 4 collinear points Or,
• 1 line from the 4 collinear points

Total ways= 5c25c2+5c15c1*4c14c1+1 = 10+20+1= 31

Thus, we will get 31 different straight lines.

Key Takeaways
• Identical objects can be arranged in 1 way.

• To find the arrangement of n different things of which some are identical then we divide
by the arrangement of identical things assuming the identical thigs to be different.

• The number of arrangements of n objects with p1 identical objects of one kind, p2

identical objects of second kind, p3 identical objects of third kind and so on is equal to:
n!(p1!∗p2!∗p3!∗…..)n!(p1!∗p2!∗p3!∗…..).

• From n collinear points, only 1 line can be drawn.

Let us now move to the 3rd and one of most common type of mistake.

Confusion of Powers: Common Error Type 3

To understand the third type of mistake, let us try to find the answer to one simple question.

e-GMAT Example 2
Q--In how many ways, 3 different prizes can be distributed to 2 students where each is eligible
for all the 3 prizes?
Can you find the answer to this interesting question???
• Is the answer 2323 or 3232???

Solution
If your answer is 3232 then You just did a very common mistake.
So, we should figure out why 3232 is wrong.
Let us delve into the details of the question find this.

Let us suppose the two students are: X and Y, and three prizes are A, B, and C.

Now, when we say that total ways to distribute the prizes=3*3, we mean that:
• X can get either 1 prize or two prizes or all the three prizes.
• Similarly, Y can get either 1 prize or two prizes or all the three prizes.

This can be shown in the tabular form as:

Observe Case 1:

• If, say, X gets prize A and Y gets prize B, then none of them got prize C.
• • There is also a possibility that both X and Y might be given the same price A
o Did we take any precaution that both get different prizes, while writing the first
case? No, we did not. ☹

Observe Case 3, 5, 6, 7, 8:

We are distributing more than 3 prizes to both of them, is it possible?

No, right!!!!

This implies that there is a mistake when we are distributing 3 prizes in 3*3 ways.

This is common mistake that students make. This is known as counting invalid cases!
Now, let us come to the correct approach to distribute 3 prizes in 2 students.

Correct approach

We need to distribute all the three prizes, right?

Thus, let us take Prize A and decide in how many ways can this be given to X and Y.
• Prize A can be given to either X OR Y = 2 cases
• Similarly, Prize B can be given to either X OR Y = 2 cases and
• Prize C can be given to either X OR Y = 2 cases.

Also, think, we need to distribute all the prizes, right?

• Thus, total ways to distribute prize = Give Prize A AND Give Prize B AND Give Prize
C = 2 x 2 x 2 = 8 ways.

All the possible 8 cases can be shown as:

Thus, there are 2323=8 possible ways.

Key Takeaways from the example

Solving the question in this way ensure 2 things:
1. All the prizes are distributed: A, B and C was considered one by one and distributed.

2. Eliminates the chances of double or invalid counting, since A will go to either X or Y,

similarly B and C goes to either X or Y and not both!

3. If we replace 3 by ‘n’ and 2 by ‘r’ in the above example, then we can infer that:
• The total number of ways to distribute ‘n- different object’ in to ‘r- different things’ =
r^n
Let us solve another example to get 100% clarity over the concept.

e-GMAT Example 2
Q--There are 10 different envelopes and 3 post boxes. In how many ways can we post 4
envelopes in 3 post boxes such that each post box can send any number of envelopes.

Solution
We have 10 envelopes and we need to send any 4 envelopes from 3 post-boxes.
• Thus, we first need to find select the 4 envelopes from the 10 envelopes then we can put
the letter into post boxes.
o Thus, total ways= Ways to select 4 envelopes from 10 envelopes * ways to post
4 envelopes in 4 post boxes.

Ways to select 4 envelopes

• 4 envelopes can be selected from 10 envelopes in 10C410C4= 210 ways.

Now, we have 4 selected envelopes and we need to put the selected envelopes in to 3 post boxes.

Way to post 4 envelopes in 3 post boxes

• Method-1)

o Since each envelope can go in to any of the post boxes thus each envelope can
be posted into 3 ways.
o For example, envelope one can go in PB1 or PB2 or PB3 = 3 ways.
o And the same will be done for all the other envelopes.
o Hence, total ways to post 4 envelopes in to 3 boxes= 3*3*3*3= 3^4=81

• Method-2) – Use of Direct Formula:

o Here Objects are envelopes and we have 4 envelopes. Thus n = 4

o Since the three post boxes are the different things, in which they will be posted,
r = 3.
o Hence, by the application of r^n, total ways to post 4 envelopes in to 3 boxes=
3^4= 81 ways.

Thus, total ways= 210*81=17010

Key Takeaways from the article

1. In scenarios where there are multiple categories and we need a mix of all the types, in
such situations, we will first jot down all the possible cases in which all the types can be
mixed or collected together.
2. The number of arrangements of n objects with p1 identical objects of one kind, p2
identical objects of second kind, p3 identical objects of third kind and so on is equal to:
n!(p1!∗p2!∗p3!∗…..)n!(p1!∗p2!∗p3!∗…..).
3. If r objects out of n objects are identical then we divide the total number of different
cases by the number of repetitive case.
4. The number of ways to distribute n different objects to r different things is rnrn.