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SESSION-27

Application of Permutations
to
real world problems

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 In this topic we learn how to count large
collections of things quickly and precisely.

For example:
• In a group of 10 people, if everyone shakes
hands with everyone else exactly once, how
many handshakes took place?
• How many ways can you distribute 10
cookies(Identical objects) to 7 boys?

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 • Suppose a security password consists of eight
characters. Each of these characters must be a
digit or a letter or a symbol. Each password must
contain at least one digit, one letter and one
symbol. How many such passwords are there?
 
We will answer these questions in the next two
sessions.

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 Permutation:
An arrangement that can be formed by taking
some or all of the finite set of objects.
Combination:
A selection that can be obtained by taking some
or all of the finite set of objects.

Permutations are of two types:

i)Linear permutation
ii)Circular permutation
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Linear permutation

When the selected

objects are arranged in a
row then the
permutation is called a
linear permutation.

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Circular permutation

When the arrangements of

the objects is to be made in
the form of a circle or ring,
the permutations is called
circular permutations.

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 Linear permutations without repetition of
objects
Example-1
Determine the no. of 3 letter words can be
written using all the letters of the word KLU
without repetition?
Solution:
Writing 3 letter word is nothing but filling
three places in a row using K, L, and U.
First place can be placed by any of K, L, and U
in the following three ways.
K--; L--; U--
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 Now, second place can be filled by the

remaining two letters in the following ways

KL-; LK-; UK-;
KU- ; LU-; UL-;

So, the first and second places can be filled in

3x2=6 ways.

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 Now, third place can be filled in each of the
above six arrangements in one way.

So the total number of permutations is 3x2x1=6

Example-2.1

Determine the no. of 5 digit numbers can be

formed using the digits 1,2,3, 4 and 5 without
repetition of the digits?
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Solution:
Writing 5 digit numbers is same as
filling five places in a row with
digits 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5.
First place can be filled in 5 ways

Second place can be filled in 4 ways

Third place can be filled in 3 ways
Fourth place can be filled in 2 way
Fifth place can be filled in 1 way
So, the total number of 5 digit
numbers formed is 5 x 4 x 3 x 2 x 1 =
5!=120
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Formula-1
Total number of permutations of n
distinct objects taken all at a time
is = n(n-1)(n-2)…2 x 1= n!

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Example-2.2
In how many ways the letters of the word COMPUTER be
arranged so that the vowels always come together ?
Solution: There are 8 letters in the given word. Since the
vowels must come together, we consider the vowels O,
U, and E as a single letter.
Now we have 6 letters and they can be arranged in 6!
ways.
But the three vowels can be arranged among them in
3! ways.

So the total no. of arrangements is = 6! x 3!

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 Permutations with not all objects

Example-3.1

How many 2 letter words can be written by using the

letters of the word ‘KONERU’ without repetition of
letters?

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Solution:
Writing 2 letter words is same as filling two places in
a row.

There are six distinct alphabets in the given word

First place can be filled by any one of 6 characters

in 6 ways
second place can be filled by any one of reaming
5 characters in 5 ways

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 So both places can be filled in 6 x 5 = 30 ways
Therefore the total no. of two letter words =
30 = (6x5x4x3x2x1) / (4x3x2x1) = 6! / 4! = 6! / (6-2)!

This is denoted by P(6,2) or 6 P 2

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Formula-2
The total number of permutations of n distinct
objects taken ‘r’ at a time is P(n, r) or n p r
n!
n p r = (n  r )!

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 Permutations when repetition of objects is allowed

Example -4

Using bits 0 and 1, how many distinct 4 bit strings

can be generated when repetition of bits is allowed?

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 Solution:
Writing 4 bit strings is same as filling four places
in a row with 0 or 1, allowing repetition
First place can be filled in 2 ways with 0 or 1
Second place can be filled in 2 ways with 0 or 1

Third place can be filled in 2 ways with 0 or 1

Fourth place can be filled in 2 ways with 0 or 1

So, the total number of 4 bit strings formed is

2 x 2 x 2 x 2 = 24 =16
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Example-5
How many bit strings of length 8 either start with
a 1 bit or end with two bits 00?
Solution:
The number of bit strings of length 8 start with
1 is 27 =128
The number of bit strings of length 8 end with
00 is 26 =64
The number of bit strings of length 8 start with
1 and end with 00 is 25=32
Hence, the number of 8 bit strings either start with 1
bit or end with two bits 00 is 128+64-32=160
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 Note
The above problem is based on the following
principle

Inclusion-Exclusion principle
Suppose that a task can be done in n1 or in n2 ways,
but that some of the set of n1 ways to do the task are
the same as some of the n2 other ways to do the task.

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 In this situation adding n1 and n2 leads to an over
count, because the ways to do the task that are
common to both the tasks are counted twice.

So the tasks common to both the ways must be

subtracted once.

This is equivalent to n(A1A2)=n(A1)+n(A2)-

n(A1A2). Where A1 an A2 are sets.

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Example-6 .1

Let A={1,2,3}and B={a,b,c,d,e} How many functions

formed from A to B are injections?

Solution: To write a function, we need to pick an

element from the 5 elements of co-domain B to be
an image of 1.

Next we need to pick one of the remaining 4

elements to be an image of 2.

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 Finally, pick one of the remaining 3 elements
to be an image of 3.
So, the total number of injections is 5 x 4 x 3
=P(5,3)
In other words, we have to select 3 elements out
of 5 elements from B and map them to the 3
elements of A. This can be done in P(5,3) ways.

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Example-6.2
A set has 5 distinct elements and set B has 8 elements.
How many injections from A to be possible ?

Solution: P(8,5)

Formula -3.1
If set A has r elements and set B has n elements Then
the total number of injections from set A to set B is
P(n, r).

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Example-6.3
Let A={a,b,c,d,e} and B={1,2,3}. How many functions
are formed from A to B ?
Solution: To write a function, one element from set B
can be selected to be an image of ‘ a’ in three ways.

Similarly, one element can be selected from B to be

the image of each of b, c, and d in 3 ways.
So, the total number of functions from A to B is
= 3 x 3 x 3 x 3=34

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Formula-3.2
If set A has r elements and set B has n elements then
the total number of functions from A to B is nr
i.e. (Elements of co-domain) elements of domain
Example-7.1
Let A={1,2,3,4} and B={a,b,c,d}. Then how many
functions from A to B are bijections ?
Solution:
To write a bijective function, we need to pick an
element from 4 elements of the co-domain B to be
an image of 1. (There are 4 choices).

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Next we pick an element from the remaining 3
elements of co-domain to be an image of 2.
(There are 3 choices.)

Next we pick an element from the remaining 2

elements of co-domain to be an image of 3. (There
are 2 choices)

Finally, the left out element of the co-domain will be

the image of 4. So, the total number of bijections is 4 x
3 x 2 x 1 = 4!=24

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Note:
Bijections from A to B exist only when both sets have
same number of elements.

Formula -4
Let n(A)=n(B)=m then the number of bijections from A
to B is m!

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Formula -5
No. of ways of arranging n objects of which r are the
same is given by n!/r!
Example-8 .1
How many words can be formed using all the letters of
the word GREEN?
Solution: There are 5 letters in the word GREEN of
which 2 are same.
So, the total number of permutations = 5!/2! = 60

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Formula -6
The total no. of arrangements of n objects out of
which ‘p’ are of one type, ‘q’ of second type and ‘r’ of
third type is given by n!/ (P!.q!.r!)
Example-9.1
How many words can be formed using all the letters
of the word MATHEMATICS?
Solution:
In the word MATHEMATICS, there are 2 M’s , 2 T’s,
2 A’s and the remaining 5 characters are distinct.

So, the total number of permutations is

11!/(2!.2!.2!)
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 THANK YOU !

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