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1. INTRODUCTION 2
2. FUNDAMENTALS OF COUNTING 2
3. USE OF FACTORIAL 4
4. PERMUTATIONS 5
5. COMBINATIONS 7
6. IMPORTANT METHODS USED IN
PERMUTATIONS AND COMBINATIONS 13
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PERMUTATIONS AND COMBINATIONS
1. INTRODUCTION :
In each of the test papers of JEE (Mains and Advanced) you’ll find 3-5
sums on based on Permutations and Combinations and Probability. 80% of
Probability problems are based on Permutations and Combinations (P&C). So,
unless the fundamentals of P&C are clear Probability cannot be handled.
Permutations and Combinations are not that straight forward, since the
question is formed in a language which needs to be first understood and then
be formulated into Mathematics. Once you get habituated to all the
fundamentals and the problems, you can handle the problems with a good flow.
This Chapter aims at clearing all the fundamentals required for solving all
kinds of problems and gives you an eyesight of observing the kind of problem
and the method to solve it.
2. FUNDAMENTALS OF COUNTING:
If an operation A can be performed in ‘n’ different ways and if
corresponding to each of these ways there are ‘m’ different ways of performing
another operation B, then both the operations can be performed in n x m
different ways.
How many different ways are there for entering from entrances and exiting
from 3 exits?
Soln: If there are 4 entrances and 3 exits then there can be 4 x 3 = 12 different ways
for entering and exiting.
Let A, B and C be three cities and from A to B there are m different routes and
from B to C there are n different routes. Then the number of different paths one
can traverse in going from A to C are?
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Soln: Suppose a person travels from A to B by route 1 then at B he has n choices of
paths to reach C. Therefore, for every path from A to B he has n paths at his
disposal. So, total number of routes he can undertake is n x m.
Soln: Since the number should have 3 digits, the first digit i.e. the hundreds digit should
not be 0. Therefore hundreds place can be filled in 9 ways (1 to 9). The tens digit
has no restriction and can be filled in 10 ways (0-9). Since the number should be
even number we can only fill the last position with these numbers: 0, 2, 4, 6 and 8.
Therefore, the total number of 3 digit even natural numbers are 9x10x5= 450.
Ex. 4. Consider the word ROTOR. Whichever way you read it, from left to right or
from right to left, you get the same word. Such a word is known as palindrome.
Find the maximum possible number of 5-letter palindromes.
Soln: The first letter from the right can be chosen in 26 ways because there are 26
alphabets.
Having chosen the first two letters, the third letter can be chosen in 26 ways.
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It implies that the maximum possible number of five letter palindromes is 17576
because the fourth letter is the same as the second letter and the fifth letter is the
same as the first letter.
3. USE OF FACTORIAL:
I. Basic Principle:
n! = 1 x 2 x 3 x 4 x … x (n-2) x (n-1) x n
0! = 1
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According counting principle the number of arrangements possible are = 3 x 2 x 1
= 6 (3!), for four different objects 4 x 3 x 2 x 1 = 24 (4!) and so on. This
fundamental will appear clearer by going through following examples:
Ex. 5. How many different words can be formed from the letters of the word ‘Bread’?
Soln: 5 x 4 x 3 x 2 x 1 =120 = 5!
ii. For a, b, c and c, there are 12 possible arrangements: abcc, acbc, accb, cacb,
ccab, bacc, bcac, bcca, ccba, cbca, cabc and cbac, which is also equal to 4!/2!.
We can obtain a generalized rule for some same objects. Let’s say there are
total of n objects, in which there are p number of objects of one kind, q of one
kind and r of one kind. Then the number of arrangements possible is:
Ex. 6. How many different words can be made from the letters of the word:
MISSISSIPPI?
Soln: Here we have four Is, four Ss and 2 Ps. So, denominator will have 4! (for 4
Is), 4! (for 4 Ss) and 2! (for 2 Ps). Therefore, the answer is:
11! / (4! 4! 2!)= 34650.
4. PERMUTATIONS:
All the arrangements that can be made by taking some or all the items is
called a Permutation. Permutation implies “arrangement” where order is of
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importance. The number of permutations of n things taking r at a time is denoted
by nPr ,
Ex. 9. How many four letter words can be formed using the letters of the word
“Roaming”?
Soln: None of the letters in the word are repeated. Therefore, the number of four letter
words that can be formed:
7
P4 = 840
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5. COMBINATIONS:
a. Explanation:
Each of the groups or selections which can be made by taking some or all of a
number of items is called a Combination. In combinations, the order in which the
items are taken is not considered as long as the specific things are included.
Ex. 10. How many combinations of three items a, b and c are possible, taken two at a
time?
Soln: Here ab and ba are not considered separately because the order in which a and b
are taken is not important but is only required that a combination including a and b
be counted. Therefore, possible combinations are: ab, bc and ca i.e. 3
combinations.
Ex.11. You have 4 sets of shirts and trousers and you want to take 2 sets with you while
going on a trip. In how many ways can you do it?
Soln. Let us denote the sets by S 1, S2, S3, S4. Then you can choose two pairs in the
following ways :
[Observe that { S1, S2 } is the same as {S2, S1}]. So, there are 6 ways of choosing
the two sets that you want to take with you.
Ex.12. 12 points lie on a circle. How many cyclic quadrilaterals can be drawn by
using these points?
Soln. For any set of 4 points we get a cyclic quadrilateral. Number of ways of choosing
4 points out of 12 points is 12C4 = 495. Therefore, we can draw 495 quadrilaterals.
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Ex.13. In a box, there are 5 black pens, 3 white pens and 4 red pens. In how many
ways can 2 black pens, 2 white pens and 2 red pens can be chosen?
Soln. Number of ways of choosing 2 black pens from 5 black pens
Therefore, by the Counting Principle, 2 black pens, 2 white pens, and 2 red pens
can be chosen in 10x3x6 =180 ways.
Hence,
This formula gives the number of ways in which r things can be selected from
n things.
b. Important Results:
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This means just that the number of ways of choosing r objects out of n objects is
the same as the number of ways of not choosing (n – r) objects out of n objects.
In the Paths travelled example the number of ways of selecting r paths out of n
paths is same as rejecting (n-r) paths out of n.
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5. If n is even, then the greatest value of nCr is nCm, where m = n/2.
If n is odd, then the greatest value of nCr is nCm, where m = (n-1)/2 or
(n+1)/2.
c. Binomial Theorem:
For example,
Where is nCk.
Or equivalently,
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(1 + x)4 = 24 = 4C0.14 + 4C1.13 + 4C2.12 + 4C3.11 + 4C4.10
For x = -1, n = 4,
(1 + x)4 = 0 = 4C0.14 - 4C1.13 + 4C2.12 - 4C3.11 + 4C4.10
Therefore,
4
C0.14 + 4C2.12 + 4C4.10 = 4C1.13 + 4C3.11. You may come across such variations
in exam.
1. If n = 2m,
d. Pascal’s Triangle:
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Row Number (n) Values
0
0 C0 = 1
1
1 C0 = 1, 1C1 = 1
2
2 C0 = 1, 2C1 = 2, 2C2 = 1
3
3 C0 = 1, 3C1 = 3, 3C2 = 3, 3C3 = 1
4
4 C0 = 1, 4C1 = 4, 4C2 = 6, 4C3 = 4, 4C4
=1
5
5 C0 = 1, 5C1 = 5, 5C2 = 10, 5C3 = 10,
5
C4 = 5, 5C5 = 1
The first row consists of single element 0C0 = 1. The second row consists of
1
C0 and 1C1. From the third row onwards, the rule for writing the entries is
as follows: Add consecutive elements in the previous row and write the
answer between the two entries. After exhausting all possible pairs, put the
number 1 at the beginning and the end of the row.
For example, the third row is got as follows: Second row contains only two
elements and they add up to 2. Now, put 1 before and after 2.
For the fourth row: we have 1 + 2 = 3, 2 + 1 = 3. Then, we put 1 + 2 = 3, 2
+ 1 = 3. Then we put 1 at the beginning and the end.
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The powers of y go up from 0 until it reaches n.
The nth row of the Pascal's Triangle will be the coefficients of the expanded
binomial.
For each line, the number of products (i.e. the sum of the coefficients) is
equal to 2n.
For each line, the number of product groups is equal to n+1.
a. Circular arrangement
Circular arrangement will lead to the same arrangements for a circular table.
Hence one circular arrangement corresponds to n unique row (linear)
arrangements. Hence the total number of circular arrangements of n persons
is = (n - 1)!.
In other words the permutation in a row has a beginning and an end, but
there is nothing like beginning or end in circular permutation. Hus, in
circular permutation, we consider one object is fixed and the remaining
objects are arranged in (n - 1)! ways (as in the case of arrangement in a row).
Distinction between clockwise and Anti-clockwise Arrangements
Consider the following circular arrangements:
In figure I the order is clockwise whereas in figure II, the other is anti-clock
wise. These are two different arrangements. When distinction is made
between the clockwise and the anti-clockwise arrangements of n different
objects around a circle, then the number of arrangements = (n - 1)!.
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But if no distinction is made between the clockwise and anti-clockwise
arrangements of n different objects around a circle, then the number of
arrangements is (n - 1)!.
c. Gap Method:
e. Selection of atleast one man for the committee out of men and women:
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n-k
(ii) Never included = Cr .r!.
Ex. 15. A team of four students is to be selected form a total of 12 students. In how
many ways can the team be selected if,
Soln. (a) Formation of team means selection of 4 out of 12. Hence the number of
ways = 12C4 = 495.
(b) Two particular students are already selected. Hence we need to select 2 out
of the remaining 10. Hence the number of ways = 10C2 = 45.
(c) The number of ways in which both are selected = 45. Hence the number of
ways in which the two are not included together = 495 - 45 = 450.
(i) Either both are selected. In this case the number of ways in which this
selection can be made = 45.
Or
(ii) both are selected. In this case all the four students are selected from the
rest of ten students.
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