10

Mathematics
Quarter 3 – Module 1:
Permutations
Mathematics – Grade 10
Alternative Delivery Mode
Quarter 3 – Module 1: Permutations
First Edition, 2021

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Mathematics
Quarter 3 – Module 1:
Permutations
Introductory Message
This Self-Learning Module (SLM) is prepared so that you, our dear learners,
can continue your studies and learn while at home. Activities, questions, directions,
exercises, and discussions are carefully stated for you to understand each lesson.

Each SLM is composed of different parts. Each part shall guide you step-by-
step as you discover and understand the lesson prepared for you.

Pre-tests are provided to measure your prior knowledge on lessons in each

SLM. This will tell you if you need to proceed on completing this module or if you
need to ask your facilitator or your teacher’s assistance for better understanding of
the lesson. At the end of each module, you need to answer the post-test to self-check
your learning. Answer keys are provided for each activity and test. We trust that you
will be honest in using these.

In addition to the material in the main text, Notes to the Teacher are also
provided to our facilitators and parents for strategies and reminders on how they can
best help you on your home-based learning.

Please use this module with care. Do not put unnecessary marks on any part
of this SLM. Use a separate sheet of paper in answering the exercises and tests. And
read the instructions carefully before performing each task.

If you have any questions in using this SLM or any difficulty in answering the
tasks in this module, do not hesitate to consult your teacher or facilitator.

Thank you.
 What I Need to Know

After studying this module, you should be able to:

1. illustrate the permutation of objects (M10SP-IIIa-1) and

2. solve problems involving permutations (M10SP-IIIb-1).

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 What I Know

To determine how much you already know about the topics of this module, answer
the following items on a sheet of paper.
Part I
1. It refers to the different arrangements of a set of objects.
A. permutation B. combination C. selection D. differentiation

2. ______________ permutation is the arrangement of object in a circle?

A. Combination B. Circular C. Order D. Distinguishable

3. P (7,3) = _______,
A. 21 B. 210 C. 840 D. 2,520

4. What is P (10, 5)?

A. 20 240 B. 30 240 C. 40 240 D. 50 240

5. If P(n,3) = 60, then n =____.

A. 5 B. 4 C. 3 D. 2

6. Which of the following expressions represent the number of distinguishable

permutations of the letters from the word MATHEMATICS?
A. 11! B. 11! C. 11! D. 11!
6! 2!2! 2!2!2!

7. In how many ways can 7 colored balls be arranged in a row?

A. 5 040 B. 2 520 C. 720 D. 210

8. Ten little Indians join a race. In how many ways can they be arranged
as first, second, and third placers?
A. 720 B. 540 C. 360 D. 240

9. In how many ways can 6 people sit all around a circular table?
A. 120 B. 240 C. 360 D. 720

10. If Lucho has 9 T-shirts, 6 pairs of pants, and 3 pairs of shoes, in how many
possible ways can he dress up for the day?
A. 18 B. 54 C. 126 D. 162

Part II
Read and understand the situation below, and then solve the problem.

Suppose that in ABC Corporation, there are 9 elected board of directors. In how many
ways can a president, a vice president and a secretary, be selected from the board?
Show your solution.

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 Lesson

1 Permutations

This module will help you find the arrangement of objects or events in which
the order matters. Here, you will learn four different rules which you can use
to find the different possible ways to arrange objects in order.

What’s In

Let us start the lesson by assessing some concepts of the Fundamental

Counting Principles. The following activities will help you recall the basic
counting skill counting.

The Fundamental Counting Principle states that if there are p ways to choose
one thing, and q ways to choose another thing, then there are p x q ways to
do both things. Thus, this follows the multiplication rule.

ACTIVITY 1: Matchy-matchy!
Prea has 4 new blouses (stripes, with ruffles, long-sleeved, and
sleeveless) and 3 skirts (black, red, and pink) ready for all occasions.

1. Assuming that she can pair any blouse with any skirt, in how many
ways can she choose her outfit? List the possibilities.
2. How many pairings of blouse and skirt are possible?
3. Are there other ways of finding the number of possibilities? How?

ACTIVITY 2: Find my lock!

B. Suppose you secured your phone using a combination lock. Later, you

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 realized that you forgot the 4-digit code. You only remembered that the
code contained the digits 1, 3, 4, and 7.

1. List of all the possible codes of the provided digits.

2. How many possible codes are there?
3. Is there an easier way to find the number of
possible codes? How?

Why do you think there is a need to know the number of possible ways
a certain task can be done? You will find out as we go through this
lesson.

What’s New

Consider the problem below:

A Plantita intends to display her 5 distinct potted plants and wishes to

arrange 3 of them in a row. In how many ways can this be done?

What is It

In English “!” is known as an exclamation point, used to express strong

emotion. In Filipino “!” it is read as “Tandang Padamdam”. In mathematics,
the symbol represents the factorial operation.
“!” IS READ AS FACTORIAL

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Mathematicians use an exclamation point after n to indicate the product by
writing n!. The exclamation point is the factorial symbol, and n! is read as “n
factorial.”

The expression n! means "the product of the integers from 1 to n ". ... 5! (read
as five factorial) is 5 x 4 × 3 × 2 × 1 = 120. Thus, 5•4•3•2•1 = 5! (that
is, we have to multiply all 5 factors to obtain 120 arrangements)

Similarly, 4! = 4•3•2•1 = 24 Also, P(4, 4) = 4! = 24

3! = 3•2•1 = 6 P(3, 3) = 3! = 6
2! = 2•1 = 2
1! = 1
0! = 1 (0! is identified as 1, which is a neutral element in
multiplication).

In the previous activities, you have learned the Fundamental Counting

Principle which is an essential tool in understanding the arrangement of
objects or permutations. Now, it is time to travel through the lesson using
the “n factorial” in solving problems about permutations.

Consider the problem below:

Permutation refers
Suppose we have to the different
6 different possible
potted plants, and arrangement of a set
we wish to arrange 4 of of objects
them in
where order matters. There are different
a row. In how many ways can this be done? ways in which a collection of items
can be arranged. For example: There are different ways in which the letters
A,We
B and
can C can be arranged
determine the number together,
of waystaken all at acan
these plants time, are ABC,in
be arranged ACB, BCA,
a row if
CBA, CAB, and
we arrange BAC.
only 4 ofNote
themthat
at aABC
time.and CBA
Each are different
possible arrangement
arrangement is called in
PERMUTATION.
terms of order.

Going back to the problem

The permutation in What’s
of 6 potted taken 4New,
at a we can
time determine
is denoted bythe number
𝑃(6,4), 6 𝑃4 ,
of
ways
𝑃6,4 these
, or 𝑃46plants be arranged in a row if we arrange only 3 of them at a time.
Each possible arrangement is called PERMUTATION.
Similarly, if there are n objects which will be arranged r at a time, it will
The permutation of 5 potted plants taken 3 at a time is represented by
be denoted by 𝑷(𝒏, 𝒓) .
𝑃(5,3), 5 𝑃3 , 𝑃5,3 , or 𝑃35 .
The permutation of n objects taken r at a time is denoted by 𝑷(𝒏, 𝒓).

Also, if there are n objects which will be arranged r at a time, it will be

symbolized by 𝑷(𝒏, 𝒓) .
Thus, the permutation of n objects taken r at a time is symbolized by 𝑷(𝒏, 𝒓).

Now, how do we find the number of permutations of n objects taken r at

a time?

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 ➢ The equation for permutation of n objects taken r at a time:

𝒏!
𝑷(𝒏, 𝒓) = , 𝒏≥𝒓
(𝒏 − 𝒓)!

Note that, n is the number of objects and

r is the number of objects taken at a time (factors)

We can use the formula to verify the number of ways these 5 potted plants be
arranged in a row if we arrange only 3 of them at a time. That is: n=5; r= 3
𝒏!
𝑷(𝒏, 𝒓) = Write the formula
(𝒏 − 𝒓)!

5! Substitute the given to the formula

𝑃 (5,3) =
(5 − 3)! Subtract 3 from 5 to get 2!

5!
𝑃 (5,3) = Apply the factorial method
2!

5•4•3•2•1 Solve and simplify

𝑃 (5,3) =
2•1

𝑃 (5,3) = 𝟔𝟎

Therefore, the permutation of 5 objects taken 3 at a time is 60.

Let us have another example.

Suppose there were 8 runners in a 500m race. In how many ways can the
first 3 places (First, Second, and Third) be filled?

We can choose the first placer in 8 ways

(as there are 8 runners to choose from)
The second placer in 7 ways
(as there are now only 7 runners to choose from)
The third placer in 6 ways
(as there are now only 6 runners to choose from)
Then the permutation is 8 x 7 x 6 = 336

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Rewriting this result using the factorial method will give us a handy formula for
all questions of this type.
Note: 8 - 3 = 5, which is the number of runners subtracted by the number of
places to be filled.
Using the general rule:
n=8 r=3
𝒏!
𝑷(𝒏, 𝐫) = (𝒏−𝒓)!
Write the formula

8!
𝑃(8,3) = Substitute the given to the formula
(8 − 3)!
8!
𝑃(8,3) = Apply the factorial method
5!

8•7•6•5•4•3•2•1 Solve and simplify

𝑃(8,3) =
5•4•3•2•1

𝑃(8,3) = 8•7•6 Find the product

𝑃(8,3) = 𝟑𝟑𝟔
Therefore, the number of permutations = 336

Now, let us have another situation:

Assuming that there are 5 objects and we would like to arrange all at a time.
Take note that n and r are equal: n = 5 and r = 5.

Then, we will have this:

➢ The permutation of n objects taken all at a time is:

𝑷(𝒏, 𝒓) = 𝒏! 𝑛=𝑟
Example:
A photo contest organizer selected 5 photogenic
winners. In how many ways can these 5 winners
arrange themselves in a row for picture taking?

Solution: n = 5, r=5
P(n,r) = n! Write the formula
P(5,5) = 5! Substitute
P(5,5) = 5•4•3•2•1 Multiply all 5 factors
P(5,5) = 120
Therefore, the number of permutations is 120.

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 Notice that in the previous examples, the objects to be arranged are all
distinct. What if some of the objects to be arranged are not distinct, that
is, some are alike or similar? This leads to the next rule, the
Distinguishable Permutation.

➢ Distinguishable permutations is the arrangement of n objects where

there are objects or terms that are similar or alike, and so on, is

𝑛!
𝑃=
𝑝! q! r! …

Example 1: Find the number of permutations of the letters of the word

CHECK.

Explanation: There are 5 letters of the word CHECK. Assuming that the
letters are distinct, then the number of permutations is
P(5, 5) = 5!
However, we must take into consideration that there are 2 Cs in the word
CHECK which are similar or duplicated. Hence, the number of permutations
of the 2 Cs is
P(2, 2) = 2!
For distinguishable permutations, the duplications are eliminated by dividing
5! by the number of permutations of the 2 Cs. So, we must divide 5! by 2! in
order to eliminate the duplicates. Thus, the number of distinguishable
permutations, P, of n objects where p objects are similar is 60.

Solution:
n = 5; p = 2 Cs identify the given
𝑛!
𝑃= Write the formula
𝑝!

5! Substitute the given

𝑃=
2!
Apply the factorial method
5•4•3•2•1
𝑃 =
2•1
𝑃 = 5•4•3 Multiply
𝑷 = 𝟔𝟎

Therefore, the distinguishable permutation of the word CHECK is 60.

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Example 2:
What is permutation of the letters of the word MISSISSIPPI.

Solution: There are 9 letters of the word, and the duplicated letters are 2 Rs
and 4 Is, then the number of distinguishable permutations is
𝑛!
Given: 𝑃= Write the formula
𝑝! q! r!
n = 11 11!
𝑃= Substitute the given to the formula
p = 4 Is 4! 4! 2!
q = 4 Ss 11 • 10 • 9 • 8 • 7 • 6 • 5 • 4 • 3 • 2 • 1
𝑃 =
4•3•2•1•4•3•2•1•2•1
p = 2 Ps
P = 11•10 • 9 • 7 • 5 Multiply

P = 34,650

So, the distinguishable permutations of the word MISSISSIPPI is 34,650.

Now, let us continue with another rule on how to find the arrangement of
objects in a circle, which is called the circular permutations.

➢ The permutation of n objects arranged in a circle is

𝑃 = (𝑛 − 1)!

Example 1:
How many different arrangements can 4 people
be seated around a circular table.

Solution:
Using the rule P = (n – 1)!, where n = 4, then
P = (4 – 1)!
P = 3!
P = 3•2•1
P=6
Therefore, there are 6 permutations.

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 What’s More

After going through and acquired a lot, let us now apply the key concepts
of permutations.

Answer this activity to learn some more.

Activity: Count me in!

How many permutations do the following have?
1. P(6,4)
2. P(11,5)
3. P(7,7)
9!
4. P = 3! 2!

5. P(7 - 1)!

What I Have Learned

Let’s have a recap of the lesson! For sure, you will find this activity very easy.

Activity: What’s in the box?

Complete the following sentences:

1. _______________ is the arrangement of objects where order matters.

2. The permutation of n objects taken r at a is ____________________.
3. Different objects (n) can be arranged taken all at a time in ________.
4. ______________is the arrangement of a set of objects where some of them
are alike.
5. The different possible arrangements of objects in a circle is ___________.

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 Permutation P(n,r) = n! circular permutation

Distinguishable permutation P(n,r) = _n!__

(n-r)!

What I Can Do

Solve the following problems.

1. In Mathematics Club, there are 8 possible choices for the president,

a secretary, a treasurer, and an auditor. Assuming that each of them is
qualified for any of these positions, in how many ways can the 8 candidates
be elected for the 4 positions?

2. Find the permutation of the word REFERENCE.

3. In how many ways can 7 different-colored horses be positioned in

carousel?

4. In how many ways can 4 trucks be parked if there are 9 available parking
spaces?

5. How many possible arrangements can you make in the colors of the
rainbow?

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 Assessment

Multiple Choice. Choose the letter of the correct answer. Write Down the answer on
a piece of paper.

1. What is the permutation of the letters of the word COME?

A. 4 B. 8 C. 12 D. 24

2. In how many ways can the letters of the word MEAGER be arranged?
A. 72 B. 144 C. 360 D. 720

3. In how many ways can 5 CDs be chosen to arrange a case with slots for
3 discs?
A. 15 B. 30 C. 60 D. 120

4. Which of the following expressions represent the number of

distinguishable permutations of the letters of the word PHILIPPINES?
A. 11! B. 11! C. 11! D. 11!
3!3! 6! 9!
5. What is the numerical value of (8,5)?
A. 6,720 B. 13,440 C. 20,160 D. 40,320
6. In how many ways can 7 colored balls be arranged in a row?
A. 5 040 B. 2 520 C. 720 D. 210

7. In how many ways can 6 people sit around a circular table?

A. 6 B. 36 C. 120 D. 720

8. What is the distinguishable permutations of the digits of the

serial number 3348836.
A. 7 B. 42 C. 420 D. 5,040

9. Mr. Gonzales wants to produce different sets of test questions for Math
examination. If he plans to do this by putting together 3 out of 5 test
questions, how many different sets of questions can he construct?
A. 15 B. 30 C. 45 D. 60

10. In a town fiesta singing competition, with 12 contestants, in how many

ways can the organizer arrange the first three placers?
A. 132 B. 990 C. 1320 D. 1716

11. Daddy Ram wants to assign 4 different tasks to his four children. In how

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 many ways can he do it?
A. 4 B. 8 C. 16 D. 24
12. Find the number of permutations of the letters of the word PARALLEL
A. 56 B. 1,120 C. 3,360 D. 6,720

13. There are 6 people in a dinner gathering. In how many ways can the host
(1 of the 6) arrange his guests around a dining table if they can sit on
any of the chairs?
A. 720 B. 120 C. 36 D. 6

14. What is the value of P(10,5)?

A. 50 B. 120 C. 20,160 D. 30,240

15. Find the number of distinguishable permutations of the digits of the

PIN number 348 463 238.
A. 15,120 B. 12,040 C. 3,024 D. 72

Additional Activities

Solve for the unknown of each item.

1. P(7, 7) = ___________
2. P(n, 3) = 60
3. P(n, 3) = 120
4. P(8, 5) = __________
5. P(13,r) = 156

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 14
5. r = 2
8. C
7. C
3. C
2. C

4. B

6. A
5. A

12. C
10. C

13. B
9. D
1. D

15. A
14. D
11. D

4. 6,720
3. n = 6
2. n = 5
ASSESSMENT

1. 5,040
ADDITIONAL ACTIVITIES
WHAT I CAN DO 3. Yes, 4x3x2x1 = 24 WHAT I KNOW
1. 1,680 2. 24 Part I
2. 7,560 1. A
3. 720 7-4-3-1 4-7-3-1 1-7-4-3 3-7-4-1 2. B
4. 3,024 7-4-1-3 4-7-1-3 1-7-3-4 3-7-1-4 3. B
5. 5,040 7-3-4-1 4-3-7-1 1-4-7-3 3-4-7-1 4. B
7-3-1-4 4-3-1-7 1-4-3-7 3-4-1-7 5. A
7-1-3-4 4-1-7-3 1-3-7-4 3-1-7-4
6. D
7-1-4-3 4-1-3-7 1-3-4-7 3-1-4-7
7. A
1. Possible Codes
8. A
Activity 2: Find my lock!
9. A
WHAT’S IN
10. D

_n!_
2. P = (n-r)!
3. P(n, r) = n!
1. Permutation
Part II
WHAT’S IN

5. Circular Permutation
WHAT HAVE I LEARNED
Activity 1: Mix and match!
1. Possible pairs of blouse and skirt

4. Distinguishable Permutation
Stripes – Black Skirt Long Sleeve – Black Skirt
Stripes – Red Skirt Long Sleeve – Red Skirt
Stripes – Pink Skirt Long Sleeve – Pink Skirt
WHAT’S MORE With Ruffles – Black Skirt Sleeveless – Black Skirt
1. 360 With Ruffles – Red Skirt Sleeveless – Red Skirt
2. 55,440 With Ruffles – Pink Skirt Sleeveless – Pink Skirt
3. 5,040
2. 12
4. 30,240
3. Yes, 4 x 3 = 12
5. 720
Answer Key
References

Callanta, Melvin M. et. al. 2015. Mathematics 10 Learner’s Module-Grade 10. 1st
Edition 2015. Department of Education

Chua, Simon L. at al. 21st Century Mathematics. 1st Edition 2016

Adrao, Eugenio S. et. Al. Advanced Algebra Trigonometry Statistics. 1st Edition
2015

Web Source:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Permutation

https://www.britannica.com/science/permutation

https://www.calculatorsoup.com/calculators/discretemathematics/permutations.php

https://www.mathplanet.com/education/algebra-2/discrete-mathematics-and-
probability/permutations-and-combinations

Images’ Sources:

https://www.google.com/images

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Department of Education – Region III,

Schools Division of Bataan - Curriculum Implementation Division
Learning Resources Management and Development Section (LRMDS)

Provincial Capitol Compound, Balanga City, Bataan

Telefax: (047) 237-2102

Email Address: bataan@deped.gov.ph