COUNTING RULES

MULTIPLICATION RULE
determine the total number of outcomes of a sequence of
events .

Multiplication Rule 1:
In a sequence of n events in which the first one has
n1, possibilities and the second event has n2 and the third has
n3, and so forth, the total possibilities of the sequence will be

# of sample points  n1 xn2 xn3 x  xnk

Illustration:
Find the number of 4 letter words, with or without meaning, which
can be formed out of the letters of the word ROSE, where the
repetition of the letters is not allowed.

COUNTING RULES 2
n1 = 4 choices of letter R O S E
n2 = 3 choices of letter excluding the chosen first letter
n3 = 2 choices of letter excluding the chosen first two letters
n1 = 1 remaining letter

4 x 3 x 2 x 1 = 24 four-letter words

ROSE ORSE SORE EOSR

ROES ORES SOER EORS
RSOE OSRE SROE ESOR
RSEO OSER SREO ESRO
REOS OERS SEOR EROS
RESO OESR SERO ERSO

COUNTING RULES 3
 Multiplication Rule 2:
If each event in a sequence of n events has n
different possibilities, then the total number of possibilities of
the sequence will be:

nxnxn  xn  n k

COUNTING RULES 4
 Illustration:
1)Find the number of 4 letter words, with or without meaning, which
can be formed out of the letters of the word ROSE, where the
repetition of the letters is allowed.
n = 4 choices of letter R O S E
44 = 256 four-letter words

2) A coin is tossed 3 times, how many possible outcomes are there?

n = 2 outcomes on each toss
23 = 8 possible outcomes

3) The digits 0, 1, 2, 3, and 4 are to be used in a four — digit ID card.

How many different cards are possible if repetitions are permitted?
54 = 625 different cards

COUNTING RULES 5
 PERMUTATION
An arrangement of all or part of a set of objects

Permutation rule 1:
The number of permutations (arrangements)
of n objects (all group elements) is n! or the
number of permutation of a distinct objects
taken all together is n!

n! (n)(n  1)(n  2)(n  3)  (3)(2)(1)

(Note that 0! = 1).

COUNTING RULES 6
ILLUSTRATION:
1)How many different ordered arrangements of the letters a,b,c are
possible?
3! = 3 x 2 x 1 = 6 possible arrangements
abc bac cab
acb bca cba

2) a) How many ways can 7 people be lined up to get on a bus?

7! = 5,040 ways
b) If 3 specific persons, among 7,
insist on following each other, how
many ways are possible?
3! 5! = 720 ways

COUNTING RULES 7

3!
Permutation rule 2:
The arrangement of n objects in a specific order using r
objects at a time is called permutation of n objects taken r
objects at a time. n!
n Pr 
(n  r )!

Illustration:
1) Find the number of permutations by taking two letters at
a time from the four letters a, b, c and d.

a ab ba ca da
b ac bc cb db
c ad bd cd dc
d

COUNTING RULES 8
 2. a) How many ways can a president, vice president, treasurer
and secretary be selected from 10 people?
n = 10 people
r = 4 ( different positions)

10!
10 P4   5,040 ways
(10  4)!
b) A will serve only if he is president, how many different
choices of officers are possible?
A, __, __, __ + ___, ___, ___, ___
P VP S T
9! 9!
9 P3  9 P4    3,528ways
(9  3)! (9  4)!

COUNTING RULES 9
Permutation Rule 3:
The number of permutations of n things of which n1 are of
one kind, n2 of a second kind, … nk of a kth kind is

 n  n!
  
 n1 , n2 ,..., nk  n1!n2 !...nk !

Illustration:
How many ways you can arrange 6 identical
green balls, 6 identical red balls, and 6 identical blue balls?

 18  18!
    17,153,136ways
 n1  6G, n2  6 R, n3  6 B  6!6!6!
COUNTING RULES 10
PERMUTATION RULE 4:
The number of permutations of n distinct objects
arranged in a circle is (n – 1)!

How many ways can three persons be seated in a round

table?
A A

C B B C

n = 3 persons
(3-1)! = 2 ways

COUNTING RULES 11
 COMBINATION
Combination Rule 1:
If you have a set of n distinct objects and you select r of them
(where r  n), and you are not concern about the order in
which the objects are selected or arranged, then each distinct
group of r objects selected is a combination. The number of
possible combinations of n distinct objects taken r at a time is
given by the counting rule:
n!
n Cr 
r!(n  r )!

How many ways of getting two letters

from the letters a, b, c and d?
a ab ac 4!
b ad bc 4 C2   6 ways
c 2!(4  2)!
bd cd
d
COUNTING RULES
12
 Combination Rule 2:
The formula for computing a r-combination with repetitions from n elements is

(n  r  1)!
( n  r 1) C r 
r!(n  1)!
How many ways of getting two letters from the letters
a, b, c and d and repetition is allowed?

a ab ac aa dd
b ad bc bb
c bd cd cc
d

(4  2  1)!
( 4  2 1) C2   10 ways
2!(4  1)!
COUNTING RULES 13
 PARTITIONING
The number of ways of partitioning a set of n objects into r cells with n 1
elements in the first cell, n2 elements in the second, so on, is

 n  n!
  
 n1 , n2 ,..., nr  n1!n2 !..., nr !
In how many ways can 7 people be assigned to one triple and two
double rooms during a conference?

 n7 

 n  2, n  2, n  3 

 1 2 3 
7!
  210 ways
2!2!3!

COUNTING RULES 14