Permutations and

Combinations
The Counting Principles
 1. Addition Principle of Counting
If event A can occur in m ways and event B can occur in n
ways, then A or B can occur in m+n ways.
Example:
1. Double A bakery has 10 hopia, 14 chocolate cupcakes and 8 cheesy
ensaymada left at the end of a day. Joey rushes in as they are about to
close. How many types of bread can he choose from?
Solution:
Since the breads are all different, add the quantities of these breads to find the number
types of bread he can choose.
10 + 14 + 8 = 32
JOEY HAS A CHOICE OF 32 BREADS.
 1. Addition Principle of Counting
Example:
2. The Supreme Student Government requires one student representative
from either first year or the second year or the third year. If there are 28 first
year, 35 second year and 39 third year qualified students, how many different
choices for representatives are there?

Solution:
28 + 35 + 39 = 102
THERE ARE 102 CHOICES FOR REPRESENTATIVES.
 2. Multiplication Principle of Counting
or Fundamental Counting Principle
Suppose that two events happen in order. If the first event can happen in m
ways and the second in n ways (after the first has happened). Then the two
events can occur in m x n ways.
Example:
1. Espie’s Ice Cream Parlor offers 12 flavors of ice-cream which can be
served on a waffle, sugar, or plain cone. How many different single scoop
ice-cream cones is it possible to buy at the parlor?
Solution: There are two choices: type of cone and flavor of ice cream. At the first stage, we choose a
type of cone and at the second stage we choose a flavor. If there are 3 types of cones and 12 flavors
of ice cream, then:
Stage 1 Stage 2
36 ways of choosing a single scoop ice-cream
3 x 12 = cone at the parlor
Types of cone Flavors
 2. Multiplication Principle of Counting or
Fundamental Counting Principle
Example:
2. In 2014, automobile license plates display 3 letters followed 4 digits. How many such plates
are possible if repetition of letters

Solution: a. is allowed b. is not allowed

a. There are seven choices, one for each letter or digit on the license plate
26 26 26 10 10 10 10

letters digits
At the first stage, we choose a letter (26 possible choices): at the second stage, another letter (again 26 choices); at the third
stage, another letter (26 choices); at the fourth stage, a digit (10 possible choices); at the fifth stage, a digit (again from 10
choices): and sixth stage, another digit (10 choices). The seventh stage, another digit (10 choices);

By the Fundamental Counting Principle, the number of possible license plate is

26 × 26 × 26 × 10 × 10 × 10 × 10 = 175,760,000
 2. Multiplication Principle of Counting or
Fundamental Counting Principle
Example:
2. In 2014, automobile license plates display 3 letters followed 4 digits. How many such plates
are possible if repetition of letters

Solution: a. is allowed b. is not allowed

b. There are seven choices, one for each letter or digit on the license plate
26 25 24 10 10 10 10

letters digits
At the first stage, we have 26 letters to choose from but once the first letter is chosen, there are only 25 letters to choose from at
the second stage. Once the first two letters are chosen 24 letters are left to choose for the third stage. The digits are chosen as
before. Thus the number of possible license plates in this case is

26 × 25 × 24 × 10 × 10 × 10 × 10 = 175,760,000
 2. Multiplication Principle of Counting or
Fundamental Counting Principle
Example:
3. In how many ways can we select two books from different subjects from among 7 distinct
Math books, 5 distinct Science books and 4 distinct English books?
Solution: This problem requires combination of addition and multiplication principles of counting
Using Multiplication Principle, we can select two books in the following ways:

o 1 MATH and 1 SCIENCE  7 × 5 = 35 𝑤𝑎𝑦𝑠

o 1 SCIENCE and 1 ENGLISH  5 × 4 = 20 𝑤𝑎𝑦𝑠
o 1 MATH and 1 ENGLISH  7 × 4 = 28 𝑤𝑎𝑦𝑠
Since the three sets of selections are disjoint, we may use the addition principle,
35 + 20 + 28 = 83
There are 83 ways of selecting two books from among the Science, Math and English Books.
 Exercises: Fill in the boxes with the stage
representation of the following situations

1. A restaurant offers 7 different main courses, 8 types of drinks and 4 kinds of desserts. How many
different meals consisting of main course, a drink and a dessert does the restaurant offer?

2. How many four letter “words” (strings of letters) can be formed using the letters A B C D E.

A. If repetition of letters is allowed

B. If repetition of letters is not allowed

 Exercises: Fill in the boxes with the stage
representation of the following situations

3. Ten horses are entered in a race. In how many different ways

can first, second and third places be decided? (Assume there is
no tie.)
4. A blue die, a green die and a yellow die is tossed. In how many
ways can the three dice fall? (each die has 6 sides.)

5. Marie has 6 slacks, 8 blouses and 10 pairs of shoes. How many different
slacks-blouse-shoes outfits can she wear? (Assume that each item matches
all the others, so she is willing to wear any combination.)
 Exercises: Fill in the boxes with the stage
representation of the following situations

6. Six books need to placed on a shelf. You randomly arrange the books on the shelf from left to right.
Find the number of possible outcomes.

7. Eight rooms in a house need to be painted. Each room can be painted White and cream. Find the
number of possible outcomes.

8. A four digit number is to be composed from digits 0,1,2,3,4,5,6,7. (Repetition of digits is allowed and
no number may begin with a 0.) How many ways can the composition be done?