Permutations and Combinations: Pratyush at Toughest Questions

Pratyush @ Toughest Questions
Permutations
and
Combinations
What is a combination?
different ways in which a
selection can be made from a
set
A three course buffet
menu in a restaurant
Starters: Soup, Cocktail, Juice
Main: Chinese, Continental,
North Indian, South Indian
Dessert: Ice cream, Cake,
Pastries
If I decide to go everyday
to the restaurant, till I do
not have to repeat a
previous combination,
how many days can I eat?
= 3 * 4 * 3 = 36
3 dice are rolled
Number of ways the numbers
can appear?
= 6 * 6 * 6 = 6
3
= 216
Number of ways to have
different numbers on
each?
= 6 * 5 * 4 = 120
3 cubes have to be picked, one
at a time, with replacement
What are the number of ways?
= 6 * 6 * 6
3 cubes have to be picked,
without replacement.
What are the number of ways?
= 6 * 5 * 4
= 6 * 5 * 4 * 3 * 2 * 1
3 * 2 * 1
= 6 ! / 3!
=
6
P
3

3 cubes be picked, Without
replacement, order unimportant
Number of ways?
With order it is
6
P
3

Given a selection of 3
cubes, how many orders
are possible?
= 3 * 2 * 1 = 6 = 3 !
So every 3! selections with
order correspond to 1 selection
without order.
So
6
P
3
selections with order
correspond to
6
P
3
/ 3 !
selections without order
=
6
c
3

Where order is important, we
have a permutation
Where order is unimportant, we
have a combination
Ceterus paribus, which
will be bigger, a
permutation or a
combination?
Permutation
What will be the value of
n
C
n-r
?

= n !
r ! (n - r) !
=
n
C
r

What will be
n
C
0
=
n
C
n

= 1
You have 5 friends. The
no. of combinations of
people you can invite for a
party (you may choose
the invite none or all five)
will be
2
5

There are 12 subjects. A
has to take 3 of these, but
A must take English as
one of the subjects. What
are the number of ways?
=
11
C
2

There are 20 books in a
library. 3 of these books
have been declared
prohibited. You can take 3
books. In how many ways
can you select the books?
17
C
3
15 students have to be
put in 3 classes of 5 each.
In how many ways can
this be done?
=
15
C
5
*

10
C
5
*
5
C
5
= 15!___
5 ! 5 ! 5 !

Five applicants can join
any one of three top
companies. What are the
total choices available?
3
5

Number of ways of
seating 5 people on a
circular table is
( 5 - 1) ! = 4 !
Take a collection of
English alphabets a, b, c,
a, a. What are the number
of different 5 letter words
that can be formed?
= 5 ! / 3!
There are 6 locks and 6
keys. What is the
maximum number of trials
needed to establish
correspondence between
the locks and the keys?
5+4+3+2+1 = 15
5 trials for 1st key used
because after the fifth key has
been used and found to be not
the right one, then the last one
has to be the right key. A trial is
not required to then establish
correspondence
How many different
words can be formed by
rearranging the word
PERSECUTION such
that the vowels stay
together ?
There are 5 vowels and 6 other
alphabets. Getting all vowels
together as 1,
7
P
7

arrangements. Within the group
of vowels = 5!/2! Arrangements
can be made
so total arrangements
= 7 ! *5!/2!
From a group of 3 men, 4
women and 2 children,
how many different
groups of people can be
formed such that each
group has at least 1 man,
1 woman and 1 kid?
(
3
C
1
+
3
C
2
+
3
C
3
) *
(
4
C
1
+
4
C
2
+
4
C
3
+
4
C
4
) *
(
2
C
1
+
2
C
2
)
(
n
C
0
omitted because at
least one must be present )
The number of 4 digit
numbers between 1000
and 9999, both inclusive,
which have two
consecutive digits
identical is
Calculate the numbers that do
not have the consecutive digits
identical. First digit has 9
choices. Second digit has 9
choices (0-9 except first digit)
& so on. So the numbers will
be 9*9*9*9.
= 9000 - 9
4
= 2439
In how many ways 15
identical red balls and 14
identical blue balls be
arranged such that no two
blue balls are together.
There are three possibilities
brbrbrbrr
rbrbrbrbr
rrbrbrbrb
In a 12 floor house
people enter a lift. They
will leave in groups of 2, 3
and 4 at different floors. In
how many ways can they
do so (the lift doesnt stop
on the 2
nd
floor)?
Since we do not know the
number of people in the lift, we
can not determine.
To conclude
To select with order r
objects out of n
=
n
P
r
= n !___
(n - r) !
To select without order r
objects out of n
=
n
C
r
= n !___
r ! (n - r) !
What will be
n
C
0
+
n
C
1
+
n
C
2
+ .........+
n
C
n
?

= 2
n

n objects have to
allocated between three
classes of p, q and r.
What are the total number
of ways?
= n !___
p ! q ! r !

Let there be n objects,
each of which can have r
states. What are the total
cases possible?
r
n

Number of ways of
seating n objects in a
circular manner is
( n - 1) !

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