Counting

Soe Htet Naing

STI
Basic Counting Principle
• If there are x ways for one activity occurs and y ways for second
activity occurs, total possibility =
• If there are three meal courses for a meal: 7 meal sets, 10 tea sets,
and 30 desserts. How many ways meal courses can be arrange?
Combinations and Permtation
• Does the order of sets is important?
• Permutation : Order does matter ( Choosing the 1st ,2nd, and 3rd
places, choosing president, secretary….)
• Combination : Order doesn’t matter
• A teacher choosing a group to make a presentation is
a combination problem, because order does not matter.
• A teacher choosing 1st-, 2nd-, and 3rd-place winners in a science fair
is a permutation problem, because the order does matter. (1st place
and 2nd place are different outcomes.)
Permutation with repetition
• How many ways to get the key for the lock which has 10 slides, and
each has 10 numbers?
Permutation without repetition
• We want to make a computer passsword with four alphabets without
repeating. How many ways do we have to choose?
Combination
• Jacob’s manager asks him to select 3 shifts from the 7 shifts available
next week. How many different selections of three shifts are possible?
Permutation and Combination
• Permutation without repitation:
• Permutation with repitation:
• Combination:
Example
• You are going on a road trip with 4 friends in a car that fits 5 people.
How many different ways can everyone sit if you have to drive the
whole way?
• The Fundamental Counting Principle is a great way of thinking about
this problem. You have to sit in the driver's seat. There are 4 options
for the 1st passenger seat. Once that person is seated, there are 3
options for the next passenger seat. This goes on until there is one
person left with 1 seat.
• Answer: 4.3.2.1=24
Example
• How many different ways can the gold, silver, and bronze medals be awarded in an Olympic event
with 12 athletes competing?
• Since the order does matter with the 3 medals, this is a permutation problem. You will start with 12
athletes and then choose and arrange 3 different winners.

• Note that you can also use the Fundamental Counting Principle to decide how many possibilities
are there for gold (12), how many possibilities are there for silver (11, since one already has gold),
and how many possibilities are there for bronze (10). You can use the Fundamental Counting
Principle for any permutation problem.
12⋅11⋅10=1,320
Example
• You are deciding which awards you are going to display in your room.
You have 8 awards, but you only have room to display 4 awards. Right
now you are not worrying about how to arrange the awards, so the
order does not matter. How many ways could you choose the 4 awards
to display?
• Since order does not matter, this is a combination problem. You
start with 8 awards and then choose 4.