Combination of n objects taken r at a time

The combination of n objects taken r at a time is a concept in combinatorics that refers to the
number of ways in which we can choose r objects from a set of n distinct objects, without regard to the
order in which they are chosen.

The formula for calculating the number of combinations is:

n!
C (n , r )=
( n−r ) ! r !
The notation C(n, r) or nCr, represents the number of combinations of n items taken r at a time,
where n ≥ r and r ≥ 0.

Example 1. From ten employees, in how many ways can you select a group of 4?

Solution:

To solve this problem, we can use the combination formula:

n!
C (n , r )=
( n−r ) ! r !
Where n is the total number of employees, r is the number of employees we want to select, and C(n,r)
represents the number of ways we can select a group of r employees from a set of n employees.

In this case, we want to select a group of 4 employees from a set of 10 employees. Therefore, we
have:

n = 10 and r = 4

Using the combination formula, we get:

10!
C ( 10,4 )= =210
( 10−4 ) ! 4 !

Therefore, there are 210 ways to select a group of 4 employees from a set of 10 employees.

Example 2. A committee of four people is to be formed from a pool of 13 people. How many different
committees can be formed?

Solution:

To solve this problem, we can use the combination formula:

n!
C (n , r )=
( n−r ) ! r !
Where n is the total number of people in the pool, r is the number of people we want to select for the
committee, and C(n.r) represents the number of ways we can select a committee of r people from a pool
of n people.

In this case, we want to form a committee of 4 people from a pool of 13 people. Therefore, we
have:

n = 13 and r = 4

Using the combination formula, we get:

13!
C ( 13,4 )= =715
( 13−4 ) ! 4 !
Therefore, there are 715 different committees that can be formed from a pool of 13 people.

Activity 1

Answer the problems below.

1. A fund-raising committee is to be chosen from a group of 8 students.

a. How many ways can a committee of 5 students be chosen? Ans. __________________

b. How many ways can a committee of 3 students be chosen? Ans. __________________

2. A pizza shop has 10 different toppings from which to choose. How many different 4-topping pizzas can
be made? Ans. __________________

Activity 2

Answer the problem below.

A teacher asks his students to calculate the number of ways in which a hospital administrator could
assign four patients to six private rooms. Beth says that the answer is C(6,4). Bryan disagrees. He claims
the answer is P(6,4). Who is correct? Why?

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