Permutation &

Combinations
 The various ways in which objects from a set may be
selected, generally without replacement, to form
subsets may be described by either a permutation or
a combination.

When the order of the arrangement matters, we have a permutation.

When the order of the arrangement does not matter, we have a

combination
 Permutation Combination

To bake a cake we have to preheat the A fruit salad is a combination of apples,

oven, mix the batter, then place the cake grapes and bananas.

in the oven

The combination to the safe is 425 The lottery numbers are 4,2,12,6,8,20

My phone number is 876-987-6543 Seating arrangements of 16 persons on a

bus
“
Permutation
There are basically two types of permutation:

• Repetition is Allowed: such as the lock above. It could

be "333".

• No Repetition: for example the first three people in a

running race. You can't be first and second.

 Permutations with Repetitions

 
When a thing has n different types ... we have n choices each
time!
For example: choosing 3 of those things, the permutations are:

where n is the number of things to choose from,

and we choose r of them,
repetition is allowed,
and order matters.
A password must consist of 7 characters. The characters can be either numerical

digits (0 to 9) or letters of the alphabet (A-Z). How many possible passwords are

there?
Each character can be chosen from each of the 10
digits or each of the 26 letters, therefore there are 36
characters to choose from
7
∴ 𝑁𝑢𝑚𝑏𝑒𝑟 𝑜𝑓 𝑝𝑜𝑠𝑠𝑖𝑏𝑙𝑒 𝑝𝑎𝑠𝑠𝑤𝑜𝑟𝑑𝑠=36
 
 Permutations without Repetitions

In this instance, the number of the possible choices have to be

reduced each time

Example: what order could 16 pool balls be chosen in?

There are 16 possible choices for the ball, but after this has been chosen, only 15 choices are
left. After choosing the second ball only 14 left…

 
𝑁𝑢𝑚𝑏𝑒𝑟 𝑜𝑓 𝑝𝑜𝑠𝑠𝑖𝑏𝑙𝑒 𝑐h𝑜𝑖𝑐𝑒𝑠=16 × 15 ×14 × …
 
𝑁𝑢𝑚𝑏𝑒𝑟 𝑜𝑓 𝑝𝑜𝑠𝑠𝑖𝑏𝑙𝑒 𝑐h𝑜𝑖𝑐𝑒𝑠=16 !
 Example: what order could the first three of 16 pool balls be chosen in?

 
𝑁𝑢𝑚𝑏𝑒𝑟 𝑜𝑓 𝑝𝑜𝑠𝑠𝑖𝑏𝑙𝑒 𝑐h𝑜𝑖𝑐𝑒𝑠=16 × 15 ×14
 
𝑁𝑢𝑚𝑏𝑒𝑟 𝑜𝑓 𝑝𝑜𝑠𝑠𝑖𝑏𝑙𝑒 𝑐h𝑜𝑖𝑐𝑒𝑠=3360
Interestingly…
 
16 ×15×14 × 13× 12× 11×10 ×9 ×8 × 7×6 ×5× 4×3× 2×1
16 ×15 ×14=
13 ×12 ×11×10 × 9×8×7× 6 ×5 ×4 ×3×2×1
 
16 !
16 ×15 ×14=
  13 ! 16!
16 ×15×14=
( 16−3 ) !
 
The Permutation Rule

where n is the number of things to choose from,

and we choose r of them,
no repetitions,
order matters.
How many ways can first and second place be awarded to 10 people?
 
10 !
10 𝑃 2=
( 10 − 2 ) !
 
10 𝑃 2 =90
A special type of password consists of four different letters

of the alphabet, where each letter is used only once. How

many different possible passwords are there?

 
26 !
26 𝑃4 =
( 26 − 4 ) !
 
26 𝑃4 =358,800
“
Combinations
Think of how lotteries work, once we have the correct numbers,

no matter how they’re drawn we win. With combinations:

• Assume that the order doesn’t matter.

• Alter it so that the order doesn’t matter.

Going back to our pool ball example, let's say we just want to know which 3
pool balls are chosen, not the order.

Let us say balls 16, 15 and 14 are chosen. The possibilities are:
16, 15, 14
16, 14, 15, There are 3! ways the same numbers can be chosen

15, 16, 14, To avoid this duplication, we must reduce it by how

many ways the objects could be in order
15, 14, 16
14, 15, 16
 
16 !
𝑁𝑢𝑚𝑏𝑒𝑟 𝑜𝑓 𝑝𝑜𝑠𝑠𝑖𝑏𝑙𝑒 𝑐h𝑜𝑖𝑐𝑒𝑠=
14, 16, 15 (16− 3)! 3 !
 
𝑁𝑢𝑚𝑏𝑒𝑟 𝑜𝑓 𝑝𝑜𝑠𝑠𝑖𝑏𝑙𝑒 𝑐h𝑜𝑖𝑐𝑒𝑠=560
 
The Combination Rule

where n is the number of things to choose from,

and we choose r of them,
no repetitions,
Order doesn’t matters.
How many different committees of 5 people can be chosen from 10

people?
 
10 !
10 𝐶 5 =
5 ! ( 10 − 5 ) !
 
10 𝐶 2 =252
Jones is the Chairman of a committee. In how many ways

can a committee of 5 be chosen from 10 people given that

Jones must be one of them?

 
9!
9 𝐶 4=
4 ! ( 10 − 4 ) !
 
9 𝐶 4 = 126
 A committee consists of 8 men and 4 women. In how

many ways can a sub-committee of 3 men and 1 woman

be chosen?
 
The men can be chosen in:

 
The women can be chosen in:

 
The subcommittee can be chosen in:
Further Permutation and
Combination Problems
A quiz team of 6 members is selected from a group of 9 boys and 7 girls. How
many ways can the team be chosen if it must contain:
a. At least one girl
b. At least five boys

At least one girl means that there cannot be no girl.

 
𝐴𝑡 𝑙𝑒𝑎𝑠𝑡 1 𝑔𝑖𝑟𝑙=𝑡𝑜𝑡𝑎𝑙 𝑛𝑢𝑚𝑏𝑒𝑟 𝑜𝑓 𝑠𝑒𝑙𝑒𝑐𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑠 − 𝑠𝑒𝑙𝑒𝑐𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑠 𝑤𝑖𝑡h 𝑛𝑜 𝑔𝑖𝑟𝑙𝑠
 
𝑡𝑜𝑡𝑎𝑙 𝑛𝑢𝑚𝑏𝑒𝑟 𝑜𝑓 𝑠𝑒𝑙𝑒𝑐𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑠 =16 𝐶 6
 
𝑡𝑜𝑡𝑎𝑙 𝑛𝑢𝑚𝑏𝑒𝑟 𝑜𝑓 𝑠𝑒𝑙𝑒𝑐𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑠 = 8008
 
𝑠𝑒𝑙𝑒𝑐𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑤𝑖𝑡h 𝑛𝑜 𝑔𝑖𝑟𝑙𝑠 =9 𝐶 6
 
𝑠𝑒𝑙𝑒𝑐𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑤𝑖𝑡h 𝑛𝑜 𝑔𝑖𝑟𝑙𝑠 =84
 
𝐴𝑡 𝑙𝑒𝑎𝑡 1 𝑔𝑖𝑟𝑙 =8008 − 84 =7924
A quiz team of 6 members is selected from a group of 9 boys and 7 girls. How
many ways can the team be chosen if it must contain:
a. At least one girl
b. At least five boys

At least 5 boys: 5 boys and 1 girl or all boys

 
𝐴𝑡 𝑙𝑒𝑎𝑠𝑡 5 𝑏𝑜𝑦𝑠 =𝑠𝑒𝑙𝑒𝑐𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑜𝑓 5 𝑏𝑜𝑦𝑠 𝑎𝑛𝑑 1 𝑔𝑖𝑟𝑙 +𝑠𝑒𝑙𝑒𝑐𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑜𝑓𝑎𝑙𝑙 𝑏𝑜𝑦𝑠
 
𝑆𝑒𝑙𝑒𝑐𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑜𝑓 5 𝑏𝑜𝑦𝑠 𝑎𝑛𝑑 1 𝐺𝑖𝑟𝑙 = 9 𝐶 5 × 7 𝐶 1
 
𝑡𝑜𝑡𝑎𝑙 𝑛𝑢𝑚𝑏𝑒𝑟 𝑜𝑓 𝑠𝑒𝑙𝑒𝑐𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑠 = 882
 
𝑠𝑒𝑙𝑒𝑐𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑜𝑓 𝑎𝑙𝑙 𝑏𝑜𝑦𝑠 =9 𝐶 6
 
𝑠𝑒𝑙𝑒𝑐𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑜𝑓 𝑎𝑙𝑙 𝑏𝑜𝑦𝑠 =84
 
𝐴𝑡 𝑙𝑒𝑎𝑠𝑡 5 𝑏𝑜𝑦𝑠 =882 +84 =966
A team of 5 people, which must contain 3 men and 2 women, is chosen from 8 men
and 7 women. How many different teams can be selected? 6 marks

 
𝐶𝑜𝑚𝑏𝑖𝑛𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑜𝑓 𝑀𝑎𝑙𝑒𝑠 = 8 𝐶 3
 
𝐶𝑜𝑚𝑏𝑖𝑛𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑜𝑓 𝑀𝑎𝑙𝑒𝑠 =56
 
𝐶𝑜𝑚𝑏𝑖𝑛𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑜𝑓 𝐹𝑒𝑚𝑎𝑙𝑒𝑠 =7 𝐶 2
 
𝐶𝑜𝑚𝑏𝑖𝑛𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑜𝑓 𝐹𝑒𝑚𝑎𝑙𝑒𝑠 =21

 
¿ 𝒐𝒇 𝑷𝒐𝒔𝒔𝒊𝒃𝒍𝒆 𝑻𝒆𝒂𝒎𝒔 =𝟓𝟔 × 𝟐𝟏
 
¿ 𝒐𝒇 𝑷𝒐𝒔𝒔𝒊𝒃𝒍𝒆 𝑻𝒆𝒂𝒎𝒔 =𝟏𝟏𝟕𝟔
“ Permutation with
Repeated Objects
 Find the number of different arrangements of the
letter of the word FLUFF

 
There are Different arrangements of the word FLUFF, but because there
are 3 similar letters, that is Arrangements that will be the same.

 
𝟓!
∴ ¿ 𝒐𝒇 𝑫𝒊𝒇𝒇𝒆𝒓𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝑨𝒓𝒓𝒂𝒏𝒈𝒆𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒔=
𝟑!
 
∴ ¿ 𝒐𝒇 𝑫𝒊𝒇𝒇𝒆𝒓𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝑨𝒓𝒓𝒂𝒏𝒈𝒆𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒔= 𝟐𝟎
 

Generalizing the Results

When n elements are arranged in order where; q, r,

s,… items are identical the above formula is used.

 Alex has four blue marbles and six red marbles, all
indistinguishable except for the
colour. In how many ways can he arrange all 10
marbles in a row?

 
𝟏𝟎 !
∴ ¿ 𝒐𝒇 𝑫𝒊𝒇𝒇𝒆𝒓𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝑨𝒓𝒓𝒂𝒏𝒈𝒆𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒔=
𝟒!𝟔!

 
∴ ¿ 𝒐𝒇 𝑫𝒊𝒇𝒇𝒆𝒓𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝑨𝒓𝒓𝒂𝒏𝒈𝒆𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒔= 𝟐𝟏𝟎
 A ship must raise eight flags at one time (two red,
two blue, and four green). How many different flag
combinations can be raised at a time?

 
𝟖!
∴ ¿ 𝒐𝒇 𝑫𝒊𝒇𝒇𝒆𝒓𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝑨𝒓𝒓𝒂𝒏𝒈𝒆𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒔=
𝟐!𝟐! 𝟒!

 
∴ ¿ 𝒐𝒇 𝑫𝒊𝒇𝒇𝒆𝒓𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝑨𝒓𝒓𝒂𝒏𝒈𝒆𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒔= 𝟒𝟐𝟎
 How many ways can the word MISSISSIPPI be
arranged?

 
𝟏𝟏 !
∴ ¿ 𝒐𝒇 𝑫𝒊𝒇𝒇𝒆𝒓𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝑨𝒓𝒓𝒂𝒏𝒈𝒆𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒔=
𝟒!𝟒 !𝟐!

 
∴ ¿ 𝒐𝒇 𝑫𝒊𝒇𝒇𝒆𝒓𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝑨𝒓𝒓𝒂𝒏𝒈𝒆𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒔= 𝟑𝟒 , 𝟔𝟓𝟎
“ Permutation with
Restrictions
Ten books need to be arranged on a shelf. 4 books are by Jane Austin and the rest by different Authors.

In how many ways can the books be arranged of those by Jane Austin are kept together?

 
The 4 Jane Austin books needs to be together so they’re treated
as a unit. These can be arranged in ways

 
Therefore there are 7 units that can be arranged in ways.

∴¿𝒐𝒇 𝑫𝒊𝒇𝒇𝒆𝒓𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝑨𝒓𝒓𝒂𝒏𝒈𝒆𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒔=𝟒!×𝟕!

 

∴¿𝒐𝒇 𝑫𝒊𝒇𝒇𝒆𝒓𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝑨𝒓𝒓𝒂𝒏𝒈𝒆𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒔=𝟏𝟐𝟎,𝟗𝟔𝟎

 
A photograph is to be taken of the 8 members of a family. How many arrangements of the seating is

possible if:

a. There are no restrictions

b. The grandparents must sit in the central 2 seats.

c. 2 brothers must not sit next to each other.

 
𝑵𝒐 𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒊𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒔=𝟖 !
 
𝑵𝒐 𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒊𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒔=𝟒𝟎 ,𝟑𝟐𝟎
A photograph is to be taken of the 8 members of a family. How many arrangements of the seating is

possible if:

a. There are no restrictions

b. The grandparents must sit in the central 2 seats.

c. 2 brothers must not sit next to each other.

 
The grandparents maybe arranged in ways
 
Because the grandparents positions are set the rest of
the family can be arrange ways around them

𝑵𝒖𝒎𝒃𝒆𝒓 𝒐𝒇 𝑨𝒓𝒓𝒂𝒏𝒈𝒆𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒔=𝟐 !× 𝟔 !
 

𝑵𝒖𝒎𝒃𝒆𝒓 𝒐𝒇 𝑨𝒓𝒓𝒂𝒏𝒈𝒆𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕 =𝟏𝟒𝟒𝟎

 
A photograph is to be taken of the 8 members of a family. How many arrangements of the seating is

possible if:

a. There are no restrictions

b. The grandparents must sit in the central 2 seats.

c. 2 brothers must not sit next to each other.

 
Brothers are not next to each other

𝑻𝒐𝒕𝒂𝒍 𝑵𝒖𝒎𝒃𝒆𝒓 𝒐𝒇 𝑨𝒓𝒓𝒂𝒏𝒈𝒆𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒔=𝟖!=𝟒𝟎,𝟑𝟐𝟎

 

𝑨𝒓𝒓𝒂𝒏𝒈𝒆𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝒐𝒇 𝑩𝒓𝒐𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒔 𝒕𝒐𝒈𝒆𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓=𝟐!×𝟕!=𝟏𝟎,𝟎𝟖𝟎

 

𝑨𝒓𝒓𝒂𝒏𝒈𝒆𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝒐𝒇 𝑩𝒓𝒐𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒔 𝒔𝒆𝒑𝒂𝒓𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒅=𝟒𝟎,𝟑𝟐𝟎−𝟏𝟎,𝟎𝟖𝟎

 

𝑨𝒓𝒓𝒂𝒏𝒈𝒆𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝒐𝒇 𝑩𝒓𝒐𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒔 𝒔𝒆𝒑𝒂𝒓𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒅 =𝟑𝟎 ,𝟐𝟒