Discrete Mathematics and Graph Theory

Module 3 - Problem Sheet 6

Counting Techniques
30.08.2023 to 04.09.2023

Principle of Inclusion-Exclusion, Pigeonhole principle,

Permutation and Combination
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Problems on Permutations
1. There are 6 MCQs is an examination. If the first 3 questions have 4 choices each and the next
three questions have 5 choices each, how many sequences of answers are possibles?

2. In how many ways can 8 papers in an examination be arranged so that the two mathematics
papers are not consecutive.

3. In how many ways can 6 students and 4 teachers be arranged in a row for a photograph if

i.) No two teachers are together

ii.) the teachers are all together?

4. A salesman at a computer store would like to display 5 models of personal computers, 4 models
of computer monitors and 3 models of keyboards. In how many ways can he arrange them in
a row if the items of the same kind are together?

5. A number of 4 different digits is formed by using the digits 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 in all possible ways.

i.) How many such numbers can be formed?

ii.) How many of them are greater than 3400?
iii.) How many of them are divisible by 2?
iv.) How many of them are divisible by 4?
v.) How many of them are divisible by 25?

6. How many strings of six letters of the English alphabet contains

i.) exactly one vowel

ii.) at least one vowel

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 7. How many positive integers n can be formed using the digits 3, 4, 4, 5, 6, 7 if x has to exceed
5000000?

8. Find the number of permutations of the letters of the word MATHEMATICS. Also find the
number of arrangements beginning and ending with the same letter?

9. The password for a computer system consists of eight distinct alphabetic characters. Find the
number of passwords possible that

i.) End in The string MATH

ii.) Begin with the string CREAM
iii.) Contain the word COMPUTER as s sub-string.

10. How many strings of eight English alphabets are there

i.) that contain no vowels, if letters can be repeated?

ii.) that contain no vowels, if letters cannot be repeated?
iii.) that start with a vowel, if letters can be repeated?
iii.) that start with a vowel, if letters cannot be repeated?

11. How many permutations of {a, b, c, d, e, f, g} i) end with a? ii) begin with c? iii) begin with c
and end with a? iv) c and a occupy the end places?

12. How many permutations of the letters A, B, C, D, E, F, G contain i) the string BCD ii) the
string CF GA iii) the strings BA and GF iv) the strings ABC and DE.

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Problems on Pigeonhole Principle

1. Seven members of a family have total Rs. 2886 in their pockets. Show that at least one of
them must have at least Rs. 416 in his pocket.

2. How many people must you have to guarantee that at least 9 of them will have birthdays in
the same day of the week.

3. If 9 colours are used to paint 100 houses, show that at least 12 houses will be of the same
colour.

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 Problems on Principle of Inclusion-Exclusion
1. In a survey of 300 students, 64 had taken a Mathematics course, 94 had taken a English course,
58 had taken a Computer course, 28 had taken both Mathematics course and Computer course,
26 had taken both English and Mathematics course, 22 had taken both English and Computer
course, 14 had taken all the three courses.

a) How many students were surveyed who had taken none of the three courses?
b) How many had taken only a Computer course?

2. In a survey of 200 musicians, it was found that 40 wore gloves on the left hand and 39 wore
gloves on the right hand. If 160 wore no gloves at all, how many wore a glove on only the right
hand? Only the left hand? On both hands?

3. Finding the number of integers between 1 and 1000 both inclusive that are divisible by any of
the integers 5, 7, 11 and 13.

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Problems on Combinations
1. A candidate is required to answer 7 questions out of 12 questions which are divided into two
groups, each containing 6 questions. He is not permitted to attempt more than 5 questions
from either group. In how many ways can he choose the 7 questions?

2. From 7 women and 9 men a committee of 5 is to be formed. How many ways the selection can
be made if i) at least one woman must be on the committee. ii) at least one woman and one
man must be on the committee?

3. In how many ways can we form a software development group consisting of 1 project leader,
5 programmers and 6 data entry operators from a group of 5 project leaders, 20 programmers
and 25 data entry operators?

4. From a group of 12 workers, a group of 4 are to be selected for a two weeks training programme.

i.) In how many ways four can be selected?

ii.) In how many ways four can be selected if two particular workers refuse to go together for
training?
iii.) In how many ways four can be selected if two particular workers want to be together?
iv.) There are two workers who want to be together and two refuse to go together.

5. A club has 25 members. a) How many ways are there to choose four members of the club to
serve on an executive committee? b) How many ways are there to choose a president, vice
president, secretary, and treasurer of the club, where no person can hold more than one office?

6. An urn contain 15 balls, 8 of which are red and 7 are black. In how many ways can 5 balls be
selected so that

i.) all are black

ii.) all are red
iii.) 2 are red and 3 are black

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 7. A committee of 3 persons is to be constituted from a group of 2 men and 3 women. In how
many ways can this be done? How many of these committees would consist of 1 man and 2
women?

8. Determine the number of 5 card combinations out of a deck of 52 cards, if there is exactly one
ace in each combination.

9. In a hand of poker, 5 cards are dealt from a regular pack of 52 cards

i.) What is the total possible number of hands if there are no restrictions?
ii.) In how many of these hands are there
a) 4 kings?
b) 2 clubs and 3 hearts?
c) all hearts?
d) all the same colour?

10. A group consists of 4 girls and 7 boys. In how many ways can a team of 5 members be selected
if the team has

i.) no girls
ii.) at least one boy and one girl
iii.) at least three girls

11. A basketball coach must select two attackers and two defenders from among three attackers
and five defenders. How many different combinations of attackers and defenders can he select?