FACULTY OF ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY
DEPARTMENT OF APPLIED SCIENCE AND HUMANITIES
SUBJECT : BASIC MATHEMATICS(11019102UE01)
UNIT-4 PERMUTATION AND COMBINATION
4.1 Introduction
Permutations refer to different arrangements of things from a given lot taken one or more at a
time whereas combinations refer to different sets or groups made out of a given lot, without
repeating an element, taking one or more of them at a time. The distinction will be clear from the
following illustration of combinations and permutations made out of a set of three elements
{a,b,c}.
Combinations Permutations
(i) one at a time : {a},{b},{c} {a},{b},{c}
(ii) two at a time : {a,b} {b,c} {a,c} {a,b} {b,a} {b,c} {c,d}{a,c} {c,a}
(iii) Three at a time: {a,b,c} {a,b,c} {a,c,b} {b,c,a} {b,a,c} {c,a,b} {c,b,a}
MULTIPLICATION RULE:
If one event can occur in m ways, a second event in n ways and a third event in r, then the three
events can occur in m × n × r ways.
For Example : Erin has 5 tops, 6 skirts and 4 caps from which to choose an outfit. In how many
ways can she select one top, one skirt and one cap?
Solution: Ways = 5 × 6 × 4
REPETITION OF AN EVENT:
If one event with n outcomes occurs r times with repetition allowed then the number of ordered
arrangements is
Example:
What is the number of arrangements if a die is rolled? (a) 2 times ? (b) 3 times ? (c) r times ?
Solution: (a) 6 × 6 = (b) 6 × 6 × 6 = (c) 6 × 6 × 6 × …(r times) =
FACTORIAL REPRESENTATION
Factorial notation is denoted by !. The Product of the first n natural numbers 1,2,3,……,n is
called n factorial and it is written as n!.
i.e. n! =1 ×2 ×3…….(n-2)(n-1)n
For example 5! = 5 × 4 × 3 × 2 × 1
Note 0! = 1
Example:
a) In how many ways can 6 people be arranged in a row?
Solution: 6 × 5 × 4 × 3 × 2 × 1 = 6!
SOLVED EXAMPLES
Example 1: Find the value of 7!.
Solution:
Example 2: Evaluate
Solution:
Example 3: show that
Solution:
Example 4: If
Solution:
4.2 Fundamental principle of Counting
Fundamental Counting Principle can be used to determine the number of possible outcomes
when there are two or more characteristics.
(1) Principal of Multiplication: If an event can occur in m different ways, and following which
another event can occur in n different ways, then the total number of occurrence of the events in
the given order is m×n.
For example: In a class of 10 Boys & 8 Girls, in how many ways, We can form a Couple (a Boy
& a Girl)?
Solution: 10×8 = 80.
(2) Principal of addition: If an event can occur in m different ways, or another event can occur
in n different ways, then the total number of occurrence of the events in the given order is m + n.
For example: In a class of 10 Boys & 8 Girls, in how many ways, we can form a Monitor (a Boy
& a Girl)?
Solution: 10+8=18
Solved Examples
Example 1: How many telephone connections can be allowed with 5 and 6 digits from the
natural numbers 1 to 9 inclusive?
Solution: As per the rules of counting, the total number of telephone connection can be
9×9 ×9 ×9 ×9 =
9×9 ×9 ×9 ×9×9
Example 2: In how many ways a chairman and a vice-chairman of a board of 6 members can
occupy their seats?
Solution: Whoever is chosen first, he would be seated in 6 ways and having seated, the other one
can be seated in 5 ways because one person cannot hold both the seats.
Therefore, both chairman and the vice-chairman can be seated in 6×5=30ways.
Example 3: Three persons go into a railway carriage, where there are 8 seats. In how many ways
can they seat themselves?
Solution: Since there are 8 vacant seats, the first men can choose any one of these 8 seats. There
are thus 8 ways of filling the first seat, when that one is occupied 7 seats are left , therefore the
second men can occupy any one of the 7 seats. The last men can now seat in one of the
remaining 6 seats.
Therefore, number of ways in which three persons can occupy 8 seats is 8×7×6=336
Exercise:
1. There are five routes for journey from station A to station B. In how many different ways can
a man go from A to B and return, if for returning (i) any of the routes is taken, (ii) the same route
is taken, (iii) the same route is not taken.
Ans: (i) 25 (ii) 5 (iii) 20
2. In how many different ways, 3 rings of a lock can combine when each ring has 10 digits 0 to
9? If the lock opens in only one combination of 3 digits how many unsuccessful events are
possible?
Ans: 999
4.3 Permutations vs. Combinations
Permutation and combination both are ways to count the possibilities. The difference between
them is whether order matters or not.
Consider a poker hand:
A♦, 5♥, 7♣, 10♠, K♠
Is that the same hand as
K♠, 10♠, 7♣, 5♥, A♦
Does the order of the cards which are handed out is matter?
If yes, then we are dealing with permutations.
If no, then we are dealing with combinations.
4.4 Permutations
Permutations: A permutation is an arrangement of objects in a definite order.
Notice: order matters!
To find the number of Permutations of n items, we can use the Fundamental Counting Principle or
factorial notation.
Permutation of n different things, taken r at a time is denoted by the symbol P(n,r) or nPr or nPr.
Theorem 1: To find the number of permutations of n items chosen r at a time, you can use the
formula (when repetition is not allowed).
nPr
Where n=number of objects and r= number of positions
For example, 5P3
Solved Examples
Example-1: From a club of 24 members, a President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer and
Historian are to be elected. In how many ways can the offices be filled?
Solution: There are 24 members. Therefore, n=24.and r=4.
Hence, The Office will be filled in following ways:
24P5
Example-2: Indicate how many 4 digit numbers greater than 7000 can be formed from the digits
3,5,7,8,9.
Solution: If the digits are to be greater than 7000 then the first digit can be any one of the
7,8,and 9.
Now, the first digit can be chosen in 3 ways, because 3P1= 3 and the remaining three digits can
be any of the four digits left, which can be chosen in 4P3 ways.
Therefore, the total number of ways = 4P3 =
Example-3: Find how many four letter words can be formed out of the word LOGARITHMS.
(The words may not have any meaning.)
Solution: There are 10 different letters, therefore, n is equal to 10 and since we have to find four
letter words, r is 4.
Hence, the required numbers of words are 10P4 .
NOTE: The number of permutations of n objects taken all at a time, denoted by the symbol nPn
and is given by nPn = n!
Theorem-2: When repetition of objects is allowed
The number of permutations of n things taken all at a time, when repetition of objects is allowed
is nn and the number of permutations of n objects, taken r at a time, when repetition of objects is
allowed, is nr .
Solved Examples
Example 1: How Many new Permutations of all letters of the word TUESDAY are possible?
Solution: The Number of arrangements is 7P7= 7!
Now, 7!= 7×6×5×4×3×2×1= 5040
Hence, 5040 arrangements exist.
Example 2: How many 3 letter words with or without meaning can be formed by word NUTS
when repetition is allowed?
Solution: Here: n= 4 (no of letters we can choose from)
r = 3 (no of letters in the required word)
Thus, by Theorem 2: nr = 43 =64
Thus, 64 words are possible.
Theorem 3: The number of permutations of n objects or things of which p things are of one
kind, q things are of second kind, r things are of third kind and all the rest are different is given
by
Solved Examples
Example 1: Find number of permutations of word ALLAHABAD.
Solution: Here total number of word n = 9
Number of repeated A’s = p = 4
Number of repeated L’s = q = 2
Rest all letters are different.
Thus applying theorem 3,
we have:
Example 2: How many numbers greater than a million can be formed with the digits
4,5,5,0,4,5,3?
Solution: Each number must consist of 7 or more digits. There are 7 digits in all of which there
are 2 four , 3 fives and the rest are different.
Therefore, the total numbers are
Of these numbers, some begin with zero and are less than one million which must be rejected.
The numbers beginning with zero are
Therefore, the required numbers are 420 60=360
Example 3: Find the number of arrangements that can be made out of the letters of the word
“ASSASSINATION”.
Solution: There are 13 letters in the word of which A occurs thrice, S occurs four times, I occurs
twice and N occurs twice and rest are all different. Hence, the required number of arrangements
is
4.5 Circular Permutations
Circular permutations are related with arrangment in which objects are arranged in a circle.
Consider arranging 5 objects (a, b, c, d, e) around a circular table. The arrangements abcde,
bcdea, cdeab, deabc, eabcd are different in a line, but are identical around a circle.
To calculate the number of ways in which n objects can be arranged in a circle, we arbitrarily fix
the position of one object, so the remaining (n-1) objects can be arranged as if they were on a
straight line in (n-1)! ways.
i.e. the number of arrangements = (n – 1) ! in a circle.
Solved Examples
Example-1: In how many ways 5 boys and 5 girls be seated around a table so that 2 boys are
adjacent.
Solution: Let the girls seated first. They can sit in 4! Ways.
Now since the place for the boys in between girls are fixed. The option is therefore the boys to
occupy the remaining 5 places.
There are 5! Ways for the boys to occupy the remaining 5 places.
Thus, the total number of ways in which both girls and boys can seated such that no 2 boys are
adjacent are 4!×5!=2880ways.
Example -2: At a dinner party 6 men and 6 women sit at a round table. In how many ways can
they sit if: a) there are no restrictions, b) men and women alternate, C) Ted and Carol must sit
together?
Solution: (a) (12 – 1)! = 11! (b) (6 – 1)! × 6! = 5! × 6! (c) (TC) × other 10 = 2! × 10!
REMARK: Number of arrangements of n beads for forming a necklace is
(In case of necklace, anticlockwise and clockwise arrangements are same.)
Example 3: In how many ways can 8 differently colored beads be threaded on a string?
Solution: As necklace can be turned over, clockwise and anti-clockwise arrangements are the
same.
4.6 COMBINATIONS
A combination is an arrangement of items in which order does not matter.
NOTICE: order does not matter!
Since the order does not matter in combinations, there are fewer combinations than
Permutations. The combinations are a “subset” of the permutations.
To find the number of combinations of n items chosen r at a time, you can use the formula:
n Cr
An alternative (and more common) way to denote an r-combination is and
Solved Examples
Example-1: Find the value of .
Solution:
Example 2: A student must answer 3 out of 5 questions on a test. In how many different ways
can student select the questions?
Solution: The required number of ways
Example 3: In How many ways 4 white and 3 black balls be selected from a box containing 20
white and 15 black balls.
Solution:
(i) 4 out of 20 white balls can be selected in
(ii) 3 out of 15 white balls can be selected in
Therefore, the two processes can be carried out together so in 4845×455 =22,04,475 ways.
Example 4: A boy has 3 library tickets and 8 books of his interest in the library. Of these 8, he
does not want to borrow Mathematics Part II, unless Mathematics Part I is also borrowed. In how
many ways can he choose the three books to be borrowed?
Solution: Let us make the following cases:
Case (i) Boy borrows Mathematics Part II, then he borrows Mathematics part I also. So the
number of possible choices is 6C1 = 6.
Case (ii) Boy does not borrow Mathematics Part II, and then the number of possible choices is
7C3= 35.
Hence, the total number of possible choices is 6C1 +7C3 = 35 + 6 = 41.
Example 5: From 6 boys and 4 girls, 5 are to be selected for admissions for a particular course.
In how many ways can’t this be done if there must be exactly 2 girls?
Solution: There has to be exactly 2 girls and there should be 3 boys , the possible combination
would be 4C2 ×6C3=120 ways.
Example 6: A party of 3 ladies and 4 gentlemen is to be formed from 8 ladies and 7 gentlemen.
In how many different ways can the party be formed if Mrs.X and Mr. Y refuse to join the same
party?
Solution: 3 ladies can be selected out of 8 ladies in 8C3 ways and 4 gentlemen can be selected
out of 7 gentlemen in 7C4 ways.
The number of ways of choosing the committee = 8C3×7C4 = 1960 ways .
If both Mrs. X and Mr.Y are members, there remain to be selected 2 ladies from 7 ladies and 3
gentlemen from 6 gentlemen.
This can be done in = 7C2 ×6C3 = 420 ways
The number of ways of forming the party in which Mrs.X and Mr.Y refuse to join is
= 1960-420
= 1540
COMPLEMENTARY THEOREM
The number of combinations of n different things taken r at a time, is same as the number of
combinations of n different things taken (n-r) at a time.
nCr= nCn-r ,where 0≤r ≤n
Corollary 1 : If nCr= nCp then either r=p or r+p=n for nCr= nCn-p therefore, n-r=p or r+p=n.
Corollary 2 : If in the formula nCn-r = nCr ,we put (i)r=n, then nC0 = nCn = 1 (ii) r=n-1 ,then nC1= nCn-1 = n,
etc.
SOLVED EXAMPLES
Example 1: Find the value of r if 18Cr = 18Cr+2
Solution: Since nCr= nCn-r , we have 18Cr = 18C18-r
But, we are given 18C18-r = 18Cr+2
⟹ 18-r=r+2
⟹ 18-2=r+r
⟹ 16=2r
⟹r=8
Example 2: Find n, for nC6: n-3C3 = 91:4.
Solution: We know that
nC6= and n-3C3=
So,
Hence,
