Permutation

A permutation is an arrangement in which

order matters.
A B C differs from B C A
 How Many Permutations?

Consider four objects {A,B,C,D}

There are 4 choices for the first slot.

There are 3 choices for the second slot.
There are 2 choices for the third slot.
There is 1 choice for the last slot.
4 x 3 x 2 x 1 = 24 Permutations

ABCD ABDC ACBD

ACDB ADBC ADCB
BACD BADC BCAD
BCDA BDAC BDCA
CABD CADB CBAD
CBDA CDAB CDBA
DABC DACB DBAC
DBCA DCAB DCBA
Generalization

There are 4! ways to

arrange 4 items.

There are n! ways to

arrange n items.
Permutation Formula

In how many ways may r items be

selected out of a set of n items where
order matters
 Permutation Example

Selecting 3 items out of a set of 5

We have 5 choices for the first item.
We have 4 choices for the second item.
We have 2 choices for the third item.

5 x 4 x 3 = 60 Permutations
Calculations

5  4  3  2 1 5!
5 43  
2 1 2!
5!
5 C3  C (5,3) 
(5  3)!
Permutation Formula

n!
n Pr  P ( n, r ) 
(n  r )!
Combinations

Combinations are arrangements in which

order does NOT matter.
A, B, C is the same as B, C, A
Evaluating n Cr

In how many ways may 3 items be

selected from a set of 5 without regard to
order?
We already know that there 60
permutations of these items.

For each set of three, there are

3! or 6 arrangements.

ABC ACB BAC

BCA CAB CBA

All of these are really the same.

Our actual answer is 10.

5 C3 60
  10
3! 6

Consider the set {A,B,C,D,E}

These are the combinations.

A,B,C A,B,D A,B,E A,C,D A,C,E

A,D,E B,C,D B,C,E B,D,E C,D,E
Combination Formula

n!
n Cr  C ( n, r ) 
r!(n  r )!
Lottery Calculations

In a lottery, 5 winning numbers are

selected out of a set of 15 numbers.

How many possibilities?

15!
15 C5   3003
5!10!
What is your probability?

You are likely to win one game

out of 3003 games.

Hot Diggety Dog!

Selecting Exactly 4 Winners

(This actually means 4 of the 5 correct numbers

and one of the 15 incorrect numbers.)

5 C4 15 C1 5 15 75 25
  
15 C5 3003 3003 1001
Selecting Exactly 3 Winners

Here is your opportunity to shine.

Calculate it yourself!
Check Your Answer

5 C3 15 C2 10 105 1050 50

  
15 C5 3003 3003 143

If you got this answer, smile and

pat yourself on the back.
There’s no place like home!

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