THE FUNDAMENTAL

COUNTING
PRINCIPLE &
PERMUTATIONS
COUNTING OUTCOMES

Have you ever seen or heard the Subway or

Starbucks advertising campaigns where they
talk about the 10,000 different combinations
of ways to order a sub or drink?
COUNTING OUTCOMES

Have you ever seen or heard the Subway or

Starbucks advertising campaigns where they
talk about the 10,000 different combinations
of ways to order a sub or drink?
When companies like these
make these claims they are
using all the different
condiments and ways to serve
a drink.
COUNTING OUTCOMES

- These companies can use (2) ideas related to

combinations to make these claims:

(1) TREE DIAGRAMS

(2) THE FUNDAMENTAL

COUNTING
PRINCIPLE
COUNTING OUTCOMES

(1) TREE DIAGRAMS

A tree diagram is a diagram used to

show the total number of possible
outcomes in a probability
experiment.
COUNTING OUTCOMES

(2) THE FUNDAMENTAL

COUNTING PRINCIPLE

The Fundamental Counting Principle

uses multiplication of the number of
ways each event in an experiment
can occur to find the number of
possible outcomes in a sample
space.
How is the counting principle
applied to determine
outcomes?
 The Fundamental Counting Principle states that
if one event can occur m ways and a second event
can occur n ways, the number of ways the two
events can occur in sequence is m • n.

Start
1 Coin
st

Tossed
Heads Tails 2 ways to flip the
2nd Coin coin.
Tossed
Heads Tails Heads Tails 2 ways to flip the
coin.

There are 2  2 different outcomes: {HH, HT, TH, TT}.

8
COUNTING OUTCOMES

Example 1: Tree Diagrams.

A new polo shirt is released in 4 different colors and
5 different sizes. How many different color and
size combinations are available to the public?

Colors – (Red, Blue, Green, Yellow)

Styles – (S, M, L, XL, XXL)
COUNTING OUTCOMES
Example 1: Tree Diagrams.
Answer.

Red Blue Green Yellow

S M L XL XXL S M L XL XXL

S M L XL XXL S M L XL XXL

There are 20 different combinations.

THE FUNDAMENTAL COUNTING
PRINCIPLE
If you have 2 events: 1 event can occur m
ways and another event can occur n ways,
then the number of ways that both can
occur is m*n
Event 1 = 4 types of meats
Event 2 = 3 types of bread

How many diff types of sandwiches can you

make?
4*3 = 12
3 OR MORE EVENTS:
3 events can occur m, n, & p ways, then
the number of ways all three can occur
is m*n*p
4 meats
3 cheese
3 breads
How many different sandwiches can you
make?

4*3*3 = 36 sandwiches
At a restaurant at Cedar Point, you
have the choice of 8 different
entrees, 2 different salads, 12
different drinks, & 6 different
desserts.
How many different dinners (one
choice of each) can you choose?

8*2*12*6=

1152 different dinners

COUNTING OUTCOMES
Example 3: The Fundamental Counting
Principle.
If a lottery game is made up of three digits
from 0 to 9, what is the probability of
winning if you buy 1 ticket?
# of Possible # of Possible # of Possible # of
Possible
Digits Digits Digits Outcomes

10 x 10 x 10 = 1000

Because there are 1000 different possibilities, buying one

ticket gives you a 1/1000 probability or 0.001 or 0.1%
chance of winning.
FUNDAMENTAL COUNTING
PRINCIPLE WITH REPETITION
Ohio Licenses plates have 3 #’s
followed by 3 letters.
1. How many different licenses plates
are possible if digits and letters can
be repeated?
There are 10 choices for digits and 26
choices for letters.
10*10*10*26*26*26=
17,576,000 different plates
HOW MANY PLATES ARE
POSSIBLE IF DIGITS AND
NUMBERS CANNOT BE
REPEATED?
There are still 10 choices for the 1 st digit
but only 9 choices for the 2nd, and 8 for
the 3rd.
For the letters, there are 26 for the first,
but only 25 for the 2nd and 24 for the
3rd.
10*9*8*26*25*24=

11,232,000 plates
PHONE NUMBERS
How many different 7 digit
phone numbers are possible if
the 1st digit cannot be a 0 or
1?

8*10*10*10*10*10*10=

8,000,000 different numbers

TESTING
A multiple choice test has 10
questions with 4 answers
each. How many ways can
you complete the test?
4*4*4*4*4*4*4*4*4*4 = 410 =

1,048,576
The Fundamental Counting Principle states that
if one event can occur m ways and a second event
can occur n ways, the number of ways the two
events can occur in sequence is m • n.
COUNTING OUTCOMES

Determine the probability for each problem.

(1) How many outfits are possible from a pair of jeans or
khaki shorts and a choice of yellow, white, or blue
shirt?

(2) Scott has 5 shirts, 3 pairs of pants, and 4 pairs of

socks. How many different outfits can Scott choose
with a shirt, pair of pants, and pair of socks?
(3) A meal consists of a main dish, a side dish, and
a dessert. How many different meals can be
selected if there are 4 main dishes, 2 side dishes
and 5 desserts available?
(4) A cellphone service provider offer two free smart
phone apps. If there are 24 different apps to choose
from, how many different combinations of two apps
can a client have?

(5) The Mathematics Club of St. Joseph’s College of QC

has six members. How many ways can this club select
a president and secretary assuming that all members
are eligible but no one hold both positions?

(6) The school canteen offers the following choices for

meals: Main dish: kare-kare, adobo, tilapia, menudo;
Rice: fried rice, plain rice; Drink: orange juice, mango
juice, iced tea, coke; Dessert: buchi, coffee jelly
How many ways can you arrange four books
on a shelf?
USING
PERMUTATIONS

An ordering of n
objects is a
permutation of the
objects.
THERE ARE 6 PERMUTATIONS
OF THE LETTERS A, B, &C
 ABC
 ACB
You can use the Fundamental
 BAC
Counting Principle to determine
 BCA the number of permutations of n
 CAB objects.
 CBA Like this ABC.
There are 3 choices for 1st #
2 choices for 2nd #
1 choice for 3rd.
3*2*1 = 6 ways to arrange the
letters
IN GENERAL, THE # OF
PERMUTATIONS OF N
OBJECTS IS:

n! = n*(n-1)*(n-
2)* …
12 SKIERS…
How many different ways can 12 skiers in
the Olympic finals finish the competition?
(if there are no ties)
12! =
12*11*10*9*8*7*6*5*4*3*2
*1 =

479,001,600 different ways

BACK TO THE FINALS IN THE
OLYMPIC SKIING COMPETITION
How many different ways can 3 of
the skiers finish 1st, 2nd, & 3rd
(gold, silver, bronze)
Any of the 12 skiers can finish 1st,
the any of the remaining 11 can
finish 2nd, and any of the
remaining 10 can finish 3rd.
So the number of ways the skiers
can win the medals is
12*11*10 = 1320
PERMUTATION OF N OBJECTS
TAKEN R AT A TIME

n!
P =
n r
n  r !
BACK TO THE LAST
PROBLEM WITH THE SKIERS
It can be set up as the number of permutations of
12 objects taken 3 at a time.

12 P3 = 12! = 12! =
(12-3)! 9!
12*11*10*9*8*7*6*5*4*3*2*1 =
9*8*7*6*5*4*3*2*1
12*11*10 = 1320
10 COLLEGES, YOU WANT
TO VISIT ALL OR SOME
How many ways can you visit
6 of them:
Permutation of 10 objects
taken 6 at a time:
10P6 = 10!/(10-6)! = 10!/4! =

3,628,800/24 = 151,200
HOW MANY WAYS CAN YOU
VISIT ALL 10 OF THEM:

10 P10 =
10!/(10-10)! =
10!/0!=
10! = ( 0! By definition =
1)

3,628,800
 Check It Out!

Awards are given out at a costume party. How many ways can “most
creative,” “silliest,” and “best” costume be awarded to 8 contestants if no
one gets more than one award?

=8•7•6

= 336

There are 336 ways to arrange the awards.

 Check It Out!

Awards are given out at a costume party. How many ways can “most
creative,” “silliest,” and “best” costume be awarded to 8 contestants if no
one gets more than one award?

=8•7•6

= 336

There are 336 ways to arrange the awards.

How many different ways can 7 students be
seated for a selfie if only 4 seats are available?

How many different ways can 7 students be

seated for a selfie if only 4 seats are available
and two of them must sit together?

How many ways can 4 officers in Grade 10-

Temperance class be elected among 38
students?
1. Tossing a coin three times.
2. Rolling a yellow and a red cube.
3. Choosing a book to read from 7 fiction and 9 non0fiction
books.
4. Ordering a pizza with thick or thin crust with a choice of
ham, bacon, sausage or mushrooms.
5. Forming 3-digit numbers from the digits 1,2,3,4,5, if
repetition is not allowed
6. The number of ways a student can wear his 6 shirts, 4 pants
and 2 pairs of shoes
7. The number of ways a doctor can make his rounds if he has
4 patients and he checks each patient once
8. The number of ways you can order a two-course meal from
a restaurant offering 12 main courses and 8 appetizers
9. If a coin is flipped 4 times, how many different sequences of
heads and tails are possible?
10. A mall has 5 gates. How many ways can one enter and exit
the mall.
How many different ways can the letters of the
word MATHEMATICS be arranged?

How many different ways can the letters of the

word TERRIFIC be arranged?

How many different ways can the letters of the

word be arranged?
Determine whether the given situation is
permutation or combination problem.

From our class, we need five volunteers.

For a survey, our school needs to select 100

students.
There are ten people on your baseball team.

The coach wants to know how many starting

options he has.
 In the class, two people will be elected as

president and vice president.

A class will elect 4 officers from 6
candidates.
 A class will elect 4 members of a committee

from 7 candidates.
 Lines are drawn using 3 non collinear points.

 Four- digit numbers are formed from 0, 5, 6,

7,9 without repetition.

 Five different books are arranged on a book

shelf.
PERMUTATIONS

Real World Example:

Five students are finalists in the school
spelling bee. How many ways can
they finish first, second, and third?
PERMUTATIONS

Example : Standing in Line.

In how many different ways can Carlos,
Sergio, Caleb, DeMoris, Eric, and
Brayton stand in line?
PERMUTATIONS

Example 2: Standing in Line.

In how many different ways can Carlos, Sergio,
Caleb, DeMoris, Eric, and Brayton stand in line?

There are 6 people to choose from

P(6,6) = (1)6 x
(2)
5 (3)
x 4 x 3 x 2 x 1 = 720
(4) (5) (6)
different
ways
We are selecting this many people
PERMUTATIONS

Example 3: Video Games.

If I choose three video games to play at Celebration
Station out of ten, in how many different orders
can I play those three games?

P(10,3) = 10 x 9 x 8 = 720 different orders

How many ways can the three members of
the debating team be arranged on the
stage?
How many two digit- numbers can be
formed from the digits 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9
if:

a. Repetition is not allowed

b. Repetition is allowed
c. even numbers
d. odd numbers
e. greater than 350
SHORT QUIZ
1. Evaluate: P(8,3)

2. How many ways can you arrange the letters

from the word FRIEND if the vowels are
always together?

3. How many ways can you elect president,

vice president, secretary, treasurer and
auditor from 44 students of 10- St. Margaret?

4. How many three- digit even numbers can be

formed from the digits 1, 2, 3, 4 if repetition
is not allowed?
 How many ways can 8 people sit around a circular
table?

Circular permutation

(n - 1)!

How many ways can 12 students be seated around

a circular table?

How many ways can 5 keys be arranged on a key

ring?
How many arrangements of letters are
formed if two letters are taken at a time?
If three letters are taken at a time?

How many combinations of letters are

formed if two letters are taken at a time?
If three letters are taken at a time?
A combination is a grouping of items in which order
does not matter. There are generally fewer ways to
select items when order does not matter. For
example, there are 6 ways to order 3 items, but they
are all the same combination:

6 permutations  {ABC, ACB, BAC, BCA, CAB, CBA}

1 combination  {ABC}
To find the number of combinations, the formula for
permutations can be modified.

Because order does not matter, divide the number of

permutations by the number of ways to arrange the selected
items.
 Application

There are 12 different-colored cubes in a bag. How many

ways can Randall draw a set of 4 cubes from the bag?

Step 1 Determine whether the problem represents a

permutation of combination.

The order does not matter. The cubes may be

drawn in any order. It is a combination.
 Example Continued

Step 2 Use the formula for combinations.

n = 12 and r = 4

Divide out
common
factors.

5
= 495

There are 495 ways to draw 4 cubes from 12.

 Check It Out!

The swim team has 8 swimmers. Two swimmers will be selected to swim in
the first heat. How many ways can the swimmers be selected?

n = 8 and r = 2

Divide out
common
factors.

4
= 28

The swimmers can be selected in 28 ways.

 A common form of poker involves hands (sets) of five cards
each, dealt from a deck consisting of 52 different cards. How
many different 5-card hands are possible?
Hint: Repetitions are not allowed and order is not important.

52 C5

2,598,960 5-card
hands
Find the number of different Find the number of arrangements
subsets of size 3 in the set: of size 3 in the set:
{m, a, t, h, r, o, c, k, s}. {m, a, t, h, r, o, c, k, s}.

9 C3 9 P3

98
7
504 arrangemen
ts

84 Different
subsets
Guidelines on Which Method to Use
 Practice

1. The number of groups of 3 people from a

group of 10 people.
2. Drawing 5 marbles from a jar with 50
marbles.
3. Placing your siblings around a rectangular
table.
4. Electing 3 persons for different positions
out of 10 nominees.
5. The number of 5-letter words from 8
letters.
 Practice!

1. Six different books will be displayed in the library

window. How many different arrangements are there?
720

2. The code for a lock consists of 5 digits. The last

number cannot be 0 or 1. How many different codes
are possible? 80,000

3. The three best essays in a contest will receive gold, silver,

and bronze stars. There are 10 essays. In how many ways
can the prizes be awarded? 720
4. In a talent show, the top 3 performers of 15 will advance to
the next round. In how many ways can this be done?
455
 Question 1

An English test contains five different essay

questions labeled A, B, C, D, and E. You are
supposed to choose 2 to answer. How many
different ways are there to do this?
 Question 2

A voicemail system password is 1 letter followed by a

3-digit number less than 600. How many different
voicemail passwords are possible?
 Question 3

A family of 3 plans to sit in the same row at a movie

theater. How many ways can the family be seated in 3
seats?
 Question 4

Ingrid is stringing 3 different types of beads on a

bracelet. How many ways can she string the next three
beads if they must include one bead of each type?
 Question 5

Nathan wants to order a sandwich with two of the

following ingredients: mushroom, eggplant, tomato, and
avocado. How many different sandwiches can Nathan
choose?
 Question 6

A group of 8 swimmers are swimming in a race. Prizes

are given for first, second, and third place. How many
different outcomes can there be?
 Question 7

How many different ways can 9 people line up for a

picture?
 Question 8

Four people need to be selected from a class

of 15 to help clean up the campus. How many
different ways can the 4 people be chosen?
 See how you are getting on….
…. swap sheets with person behind you.
 Question 1

An English test contains five different essay questions

labeled A, B, C, D, and E. You are supposed to choose
2 to answer. How many different ways are there to do
this?

The order of outcomes is not important, so this situation involves combinations.

C2 =10
5
 Question 2

A voicemail system password is 1 letter followed by a

3-digit number less than 600. How many different
voicemail passwords are possible if all digits are
allowed?

The order of outcomes is important, so this situation involves permutations.

26 x 6 x 10 x 10 =15600
 Question 3

A family of 3 plans to sit in the same row at a movie

theater. How many ways can the family be seated in 3
seats?
The order of outcomes is important, so this situation involves permutations.

ABC BAC CAB

ACB BCA CBA

3x2x1=6
 Question 4

Ingrid is stringing 3 different types of beads on a

bracelet. How many ways can she string the next three
beads if they must include one bead of each type?

The order of outcomes is important, so this situation involves permutations.

3x2x1=6
 Question 5

Nathan wants to order a sandwich with two of the

following ingredients: mushroom, eggplant, tomato, and
avocado. How many different sandwiches can Nathan
choose?

The order of outcomes is not important, so this situation involves combinations.

C2 =6
4
 Question 6

A group of 8 swimmers are swimming in a race. Prizes

are given for first, second, and third place. How many
different outcomes can there be?

The order of outcomes is important, so this situation involves permutations.

8 x 7 x 6 = 336
 Question 7

How many different ways can 9 people line up for a

picture?

The order of outcomes is important, so this situation involves permutations.

9!= 362,880
 Question 8

Four people need to be selected from a class

of 15 to help clean up the campus. How many
different ways can the 4 people be chosen?

The order of outcomes is not important, so this situation involves combinations.

15 Choose 4 = 1365
Return the sheet to the person in front of you along with their score (out of 16)
so far…..
And now for some more…...
 Question 9

Four people need to be selected from a class of 15 to

help clean up the campus. How many different ways
can the 4 people be chosen, if the only two girls
refuse to help?
 Question 10

A basketball team has 12 members who can play any

position. How many different ways can the coach
choose 5 starting players?
 Question 11

A basketball team has 12 members who can play any

position. How many different ways can the coach
choose 5 starting players if the captain MUST play the
first half?
 Question 12

When ordering a pizza, you can choose 2 toppings

from the following: mushrooms, olives, pepperoni,
pineapple, and sausage. How many different types of
pizza can you order?
 Question 13

Nine people in a writing contest are competing for

first, second and third prize. How many ways can the
3 people be chosen?
 Question 14

You are ordering a triple-scoop ice-cream cone.

There are 18 flavors to choose from and you don’t
care which flavor is on the top, middle, or bottom.
How many different ways can you select a triple-
scoop ice-cream cone?
 Question 15

An art gallery has 12 paintings in storage. They have

room to display 4 of them, with each painting in a
different room. How many possible ways can they
display the 4 paintings?
 Question 9

Four people need to be selected from a class of 15 to

help clean up the campus. How many different ways can
the 4 people be chosen, if the only two girls refuse to
help?
The order of outcomes is not important, so this situation involves combinations.

13 Choose 4 = 715
 Question 10

A basketball team has 12 members who can play any

position. How many different ways can the coach
choose 5 starting players?

The order of outcomes is not important, so this situation involves combinations.

C5 = 792
12
 Question 11

A basketball team has 12 members who can play any

position. How many different ways can the coach
choose 5 starting players if the captain MUST play the
first half?

The order of outcomes is not important, so this situation involves

combinations.

C4 = 330
11
 Question 12

When ordering a pizza, you can choose 2 toppings

from the following: mushrooms, olives, pepperoni,
pineapple, and sausage. How many different types of
pizza can you order?

The order of outcomes is not important, so this situation involves combinations.

Combinations: 5 choose 2 = 10
 Question 13

Nine people in a writing contest are competing for

first, second and third prize. How many ways can the
3 people be chosen?

The order of outcomes is important, so this situation involves permutations.

Permutation: 9 x 8 x 7 = 504
 Question 14

You are ordering a triple-scoop ice-cream cone.

There are 18 flavours to choose from and you don’t
care which flavor is on the top, middle, or bottom.
How many different ways can you select a triple-
scoop ice-cream cone?

The order of outcomes is not important, so this situation involves combinations.

18 choose 3 = 816
 Question 15

An art gallery has 12 paintings in storage. They have

room to display 4 of them, with each painting in a
different room. How many possible ways can they
display the 4 additional paintings.

The order of outcomes is important, so this situation involves permutations.

12 arrange 4 = 11,880