Title: Benefit Concert Planning  

 
Topic: Permutations and Combinations  
 
Content Level: Advanced Counting  
 
Time: Two class hours  
  Day 1: “Lets Get the Band Together” to “Almost Show Time” sections 
Day 2: “Notes” and “The Show Must Go On” sections  
 
Materials: Red pens, white board, white board markers, computer (to watch video) 
 
Background Skills: Familiarity with counting.  
 
Purpose: Introduce students to permutation and combination thinking and formulas.  
 
Objective: SWBAT find permutations and a combination using brute force and 
formulas.  
 
   
 Benefit Concert Planning 
Lets Get the Band Together 
Today you and your partner are up and coming managers for a “hip-new” musical 
group called ________________________________ . Through sheer luck, your 
group is able to pick three of the five musicians below to be members in your band. 

      
Chanyeol Nick Jonas Hannah Montana  

 
Selina Gomez  Beyoncé 
 
1. Which three members are you going to pick? Explain why in at least 2 
sentences.  
Any one of the combinations below in question 2. For the answer key, we will 
use CHS (Chanyeol, Hannah Montana, and Selina Gomez)  
 
 
2. What other groups could you have made? Write them all out.  
Let the first letter denote the name of a person, that is S = Selina Gomez. 
 
CNH CNB CHB NHS HSB 
CNS CHS CSB NHB NSB 
 
Note, the order of the people does not matter since CHS is the same as 
SCH so there should be 10 groups. Teacher recall: C(5,3) = 10 (​students don’t need 
to know this yet​) 
3. How many groups did you find for number 2?   
10 groups    

1 
Staging  
Every great performance has an even greater staging, that is the placement of 
their musicians on stage. For simplicity, once a band member is placed in a spot 
they will not move from that spot. Below are the potential spots you can put your 
band members. Each blue square is a spot. Note, this is the ​blue​print of the stage.   
 

   
1. How many spots are there?  
4 spots; 4 blue spots 
2. How many different ways can you arrange your 3 musicians? Use the 
following blueprints to write them out.  
Recall: CHS is used here, but any of the combinations from question 2 work.   

2 
3 
  
 
Number of different staging arrangements:  ___​24​___ 
 
3. Indicate the staging you will use by circling it in ​red​. Explain in at least 1 
sentence why you chose this staging.   
Only one needs to be circled, though an explanation as to why multiple ones 
were circle is okay. The reasoning can be any from “I think this is good” to “I don’t 
know, my partner said so”; any reasoning is reasoning.   
 
   

4 
Almost Show Time 
Now, 3 bands (including yours) are able to participate in the Benefit Concert. 
These bands are “The 25th Night”, “One for All”, and of course yours.  
 
1. How many line ups are possible? Explain how you got your answer.  
Let T denote “Their group”, N denote the “The 25th Night”, and A denote “One for 
All”.  
TNA TAN  
NAT NTA => That there are 6 possible line ups 
ATN ANT 
 
3x2x1 = 6 (since there are 3 possible groups who could go first, then two 
possible groups who could go second, and only 1 who could go last)  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
2. Which line up would you like? Why?  
Any line up is okay as long as they give at least one sentence why they choose it.  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
   

5 
Notes: What was that for?  
You might be thinking, “There’s gotta be a quicker way to do this” … and there is! 
 
  Permutation  Combination 

What do you     
think ​that   
word​ means?    
   
Can be   
anything.   
Does not   
have to be   
right.    
 

Definition  A way in which a set of things  A selection of a set of things 

(​google  can be ordered or arranged.  without regard to their 
document’s  Order ​does​ matter.    arrangement.  
definition​)   Order ​does not​ matter.   

Formula   n!
P (n, r) = (n−r)!   n!
C (n, r) = r!(n−r)!  
  n = total number of things or  n = total number of things or 
spots  spots 
r = the number of things being  r = the number of things being 
arranged  selected  

Example(s)  Staging  Lets Get the Band Together 

from Benefit  2. P(4,3) = 4!/(4-3)!  3. C(5,3) = 5!/(3!(5-3)!) 
Concert.  = 24   = 10 
Since 1) order does matter and  Since 1) order does not matter 
Work them 
2) there are 4 spots where 3  and 2) there are 5 things total 
out using the  people are being arranged.   and only 3 are being selected. 
formula.      
Did your  Almost Show Time 
answers  1. P(3,3) = 3!/(3-3)! 
match?    = 6  
Note: 0! = 1  
Since 1) order does matter and 
2) there are 3 spots where 3 
bands can be arranged.  
   

6 
The Show Must Go On 
In a mishap, “The 25th Night” and “One for All” are unable to perform due to 
overbooking. But fear not since you are well acquainted with other bands, your 
fellow classmates’ bands that is.  
  
Write your group’s name on the board. Be prepared to share about your band to 
the class. After that proceed with the questions below.  
 
1. How many musical groups, in total, are on the board?   
This is the number of groups in the class, lets say 15 for now.  
 
2. How many line ups are possible with all the groups on the board?  
P(15,15) = 15!/(15-15)! = 15! Line ups 
So, for g groups P(g,g) = g! Line ups  
 
 
Now, it’s time for a vote since not all the bands will be able to participate. Place a 
tally mark next to the band you want to see perform after groups share 
information about their band.   
 
3. Which four bands hand the most votes (as decided by the class)?  
 
★ Can 
★ Be 
★ Any 
★ Five 
★ Groups   
 
4. How many line ups are possible with those 5 groups if only 3 can perform? 
Show your work.  
P(5,3) = 5!/(5-3)! 
= 60  
Since 1) order does matter and 2) there are 5 total things, but only 3 are being 
arranged.     

7 
 
Websites where info/pictures came from 
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Park_Chanyeol#Television_dramas 
 
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nick_Jonas 
 
https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/pop/8501329/best-of-hannah-
montana-vinyl-urban-outfitters 
 
https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/music/selena-gomez-gives-
as-much-of-herself-as-she-can-on-rare/2020/01/16/cd9a41a8-37b7-11ea-b
b7b-265f4554af6d_story.html 
 
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beyonc%C3%A9 
 
 
 
 
 

8