Fundamental

Principles
of
Counting
A brief history of Probability
• Originated in the 16th century when the
Italian Physician, mathematician and
gambler Gerolamo Cardano wrote the
first theoretical study of probabilities in
gambling (the book on game of chance).
• It was shown to be a serious area of
interest only when Jacob Bernoulli’s Ars
Conjectandi (art of guessing) was
published in 1713.
• You have a choice of one main dish one vegetable
and one beverage. The main dish choices are
lobster, chicken, fish or steak. The vegetable
choices are ampalaya, lettuce, or broccoli. The
beverage choices are cola, tea, or pineapple. How
many menus are possible.
a. Draw a tree diagram to represent the situation.
b. How many outcomes show lobster?
c. How many outcomes show chicken and
broccoli?
d. If you include lemonade as a beverage choice,
how many menus would be possible?
The Fundamental Principal of Counting
• If one thing can occur in m ways
and a second thing can occur in
n ways, and a third thing can
occur in p ways, and so on, then
the sequence of things can
occur in m x n x p x… ways.
Tree Diagram
A diagram used to illustrate the
number of ways several related tasks
can be performed.
 example 1.
Rene Alarcon is a disc jockey. He chooses
different types of records for each hour of his three-
hour program. The possible choices are listed below.
How many possible outcomes are there?
FIRST HOUR SECOND HOUR THIRD HOUR
rock instrumental opera
folk jazz classical
 example 2.
A plate number is made up of three letters
from the English alphabet followed by a three-digit
number. How many plate numbers are possible to
form if:
a. the letters and digits can be repeated in the
same plate number?
b. the letters and digits cannot be repeated in the
same plate number?
Find the number of possible outcomes.
1. A choice of muffin or toast with coffee, milk,
or juice.
2. Basketball uniform in white, red, blue or
green in sizes small, medium, or large.
3. Four dice are rolled.
4. A die is rolled twice.
5. Elias has a choice of an ace or king with a
choice of hearts, diamonds, clubs, or spades.
II. Answer each question.
6. A multiple choice test has four questions. Each
question can be answered with a, b, c, or d. How many
outcomes are possible?
a. How many outcomes show a?
b. How many outcomes show both a and b.
c. Suppose the multiple choice test has five questions.
How many sets of answers are possible?
d. Suppose e were included as a possible answer.
How many sets of answers are possible on a four-question
test? On a five-question test?
II. Answer each question.
7. how many four-digit numbers can be formed from the
set { 0, 1, 2, 3} if zero cannot be the first digit and the givn
conditions are satisfied?
a. Repetitions are allowed and the number must be even.
b. Repetitions are allowed and the number must be
divisible by 5.
c. The number must be odd and less 3,000 with
repetition allowed.