Counting Techniques,

Permutation &
Combination

5E Note 4
 Counting Rules
• Sample space of throwing 3 dice has
216 entries, sample space of throwing
4 dice has 1296 entries, …
• At some point, we have to stop listing
and start thinking …
• We need some counting rules

Note 5 of 5E
 The mn Rule
• If an experiment is performed in two stages,
with m ways to accomplish the first stage and
n ways to accomplish the second stage, then
there are mn ways to accomplish the
experiment.
• This rule is easily extended to k stages, with
the number of ways equal to
n1 n2 n3 … nk
Example: Toss two coins. The total number of
simple events is:
22  22 == 44
Note 5 of 5E
 Examples m

m
Example: Toss three coins. The total number of
simple events is: 22  22  22 == 88
Example: Toss two dice. The total number of
simple events is: 6  6 = 36
6  6 = 36
Example: Toss three dice. The total number of
simple events is: 6  6  6 = 216
6  6  6 = 216
Example: Two Marbles are drawn from a dish
containing two red and two blue marbles. The total
number of simple events is:
44  33 == 12
12 Note 5 of 5E
 Permutations
• The number of ways you can arrange
n distinct objects, taking them r at a time
is Prn  n!
(n  r )!
where n! n(n  1)(n  2)...( 2)(1) and 0! 1.
Example: How many 3-digit lock combinations
can we make from the numbers 1, 2, 3, and 4?
The order of the choice is 44!!
important!
PP   44((33)()(22))  24
44
33 24
11!! Note 5 of 5E
 Examples
Example: A lock consists of five parts and
can be assembled in any order. A quality
control engineer wants to test each order for
efficiency of assembly. How many orders are
there?
The order of the choice is
important!
55!!
PP  55((44)()(33)()(22)()(11)) 120
55
55 120
00!!
Note 5 of 5E
 Rules of Permutations
• Number of permutation of n objects is n!
• The number of permutations of n objects
arranged in a circle is (n-1)!
• The number of permutations of n things of
which n1 are of one kind, n2 are of second…
and so on (n!)/(n1! n2!....nk!)

Note 5 of 5E
 Combinations
• The number of distinct combinations of n
distinct objects that can be formed,
taking them r at a time is n n!
Cr 
r!(n  r )!
Example: Three members of a 5-person committee must
be chosen to form a subcommittee. How many different
subcommittees could be formed?
55!! 55((44)()(33)()(22))11 55((44))
The order of CC 
55
33   10
10
the choice is 33!!((5533)!)! 33((22)()(11)()(22))11 ((22))11
not important! Note 5 of 5E
 Example m
m m
m mm
• A box contains six Marbles, four red
and two green. A child selects two Marbles at
random. What is the probability that exactly one is
red?
2!
6! 6(5) C 
2
2
The order of C2 
6
  15 1
1!1!
2!4! 2(1)
the choice is ways to choose
not important! ways to choose 2 M & Ms.
1 green M & M.
4!
C 
1
4
4 4  2 =8 ways to
1!3! choose 1 red and 1 P(exactly one
ways to choose green M&M. red) = 8/15
1 red M & M.
Note 5 of 5E
 Example
A deck of cards consists of 52 cards, 13 "kinds"
each of four suits (spades, hearts, diamonds, and
clubs). The 13 kinds are Ace (A), 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7,
8, 9, 10, Jack (J), Queen (Q), King (K). In many
poker games, each player is dealt five cards from
a well shuffled deck.
52
52!! 52
52((51
51)()(50
50 )()(49
49 ))48
48  2,598,960
There are C
There are C  
52
52
55 
  2,598,960
55!!((52  5)!
52  5)! 5( 4 )(3)(
5(4)(3)(2)1 2 )1
possible
possiblehands
hands
Note 5 of 5E
 Example
Four of a kind: 4 of the 5 cards are the same
“kind”. What is the probability of getting
four of a kind in a five card hand?
There are 13 possible choices for the kind of
which to have four, and 52-4=48 choices for
the fifth card. Once the kind has been specified,
the four are completely determined: you need
all four cards of that kind. Thus there are
13×48=624 ways to get four of a kind.
The probability=624/2598960=.000240096
and
Note 5 of 5E
 Example
One pair: two of the cards are of one kind,
the other three are of three different kinds.
What is the probability of getting one pair
in a five card hand?
There
Thereare
are13
13possible
possiblechoices
choicesfor
for the
thekind
kind
of
of which
which to
tohave
haveaa pair;
pair;given
given the
thechoice,
choice,
C  66possible
44
there
thereare
areC22 possiblechoices
choicesof
of two
two
of
of the
thefour
four cards
cardsof
of that
that kind
kind Note 5 of 5E
 Example
There are 12 kinds remaining from
which to select the other three cards in
the hand. We must insist that the kinds
be different from each other and from
the kind of which we have a pair, or we
could end up with a second pair, three
or four of a kind, or a full house.

Note 5 of 5E
 Example
areCC  220
12
There
Thereare 12
33 220ways
waystotopick
pick the
thekinds
kindsof
of
the
theremaining
remaining three
threecards.
cards.There
Thereare
are44choices
choices
for
for the
thesuit
suit of
of each
eachofof those
those three
threecards,
cards,aa total
total
of 4 64
33
of 4 64choices
choicesfor
for the
thesuits
suitsofof all
allthree.
three.
Therefore
Thereforethe
thenumber
numberofof ""one
onepair"
pair"hands
handsisis
1366220
13 22064
641,098,240.
1,098,240.
The probabilityy1098240/25
Theprobabilit 98960 
1098240/2598960
..422569
422569
Note 5 of 5E