Chapter 1 Permutations and Combinations

Tutorial 28: Permutations and Combinations

Practise on your own
1

A delegation of 3 girls and 2 boys is to be selected from a class of 18 girls and 12

boys. Find the number of possible delegations.
Solution:
18 12
Number of possible delegations = 53856
3 2

In a set of 26 cards, each card is marked with one of the letters A to Z so that each
card carries a different letter of the alphabet. Three of these cards are drawn at
random. Find the number of different selections that can be made
(i)
if the cards are drawn without replacement and the order in which the
cards are drawn is disregarded,
(ii)
if the cards are drawn with replacement and the order in which the cards
are drawn is taken into account.
Solution:

26
2600
3

(i)

Number of different selections =

(ii)

Number of different selections = 263 17576

A nursery school has 4 apples, 3 oranges and 2 bananas to share among 9 children,
with each child receiving one fruit. Find the number of different ways in which this
can be done.
Solution:
Number of ways =

9!
1260
4!3!2!

A child was given four boxes of toys. In the first box, there were three identical toy
cars. In the second box, there were four identical toy vans. In the third box, there
were two identical toy motorcycles. In the last box, there was a toy garbage truck.
Find the number of ways in which the child can choose at least one toy from any of
these boxes.
Solution:
3Cars
(4ways)

4Vans
(5 ways)

2MTCs
(3ways)

1Truck
(2ways)

Number of ways child can choose at least one toy

= 5 4 3 2 1 child chooses no toy
= 119

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Chapter 1 Permutations and Combinations

A set of 20 students is made up of 10 students from each of two different yeargroups. Five students are to be selected from the set, and the order of selection is
unimportant. Find
(i)
the total number of possible selections,
(ii)
the number of selections in which there are at least two students from each of
the two year-groups.
Solution:
20
(i)
Total number of possible selections = 15504
5
10 10
(ii)
Number of selections = 2 or 10800
3 2

Find the number of 4-letter code-words that can be made from the letters of the word
ADVANCE,
(i)
using neither of the As,
(ii)
using both of the As.
Solution:
2A, 1D, 1V, 1N, 1C, 1E

(i)

5
Number of 4-letter code-words = P4 = 120

(ii)

5
4!
Number of 4-letter code-words = = 120
2!
2

(a)

(b)

Eight people go to the theatre and sit in a particular group of eight adjacent
reserved seats in the front row. Three of the eight belong to one family and sit
together.
(i)

If the other five people do not mind where they sit, find the number of
possible seating arrangements for all eight people.

(ii)

If the other 5 people do not mind where they sit, except that two of
them refuse to sit together, find the number of possible seating
arrangements for all 8 people.

The salad bar at a restaurant has 6 separate bowls containing lettuce,

tomatoes, cucumber, radishes, spring onions and beetroot respectively. John
decides to visit the salad bar and make a selection. At each bowl, he can
choose to take some of the contents or not.
(i)
Assuming that John takes some of the contents from at least one bowl,
find how many different selections he can make.
(ii)
John decides he is going to have 4 salad items, and one of them will
be tomatoes. How many different selections can he make?

Solution:
(a) (i) Number of possible arrangements = 6! 3! = 4320
(ii) Number of possible arrangements = 4320 5! 3! 2! = 2880

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Chapter 1 Permutations and Combinations

(b) (i) Number of different selections = 26 1 = 63

5
(ii) Number of different selections = 10
3
8

Eight cards each have a single digit written on them. The digits are 2, 2, 4, 5, 7, 7, 7,
7 respectively.
Find the number of different 7-digit numbers that can be formed by placing seven of
the cards side by side.
Solution:
Case 1: Either digit 4 or 5 are not included
7!
2 = 210
Number of different 7-digit numbers =
2!4!
Case 2: One of the digit 2 is not included
7!
Number of different 7-digit numbers =
= 210
4!
7!
420
Case 3: One of the digit 7 is not included =
2!3!
Therefore, total number of different 7-digit numbers = 210 + 210 + 420 = 840

Challenging Questions
1.

How many rectangles are there in this figure? How many rectangles are there
in an
m x n grid?

[150,

m(m 1)n(n 1)
]
4

Solution:
5 6
Number of rectangles = 150
2 2

m 1 n
1
(m 1)!
(n 1)!

2
(m 1)!(2!) ( n 1)!(2!)
2
m(m 1)n(n 1)

Number of rectangles in an m n grid =

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Chapter 1 Permutations and Combinations

2.

The following diagram shows 12 distinct points: a1, a2, a3, b1,, b4, c1,, c5 chosen
from the sides of ABC.

c1
B

c2

c3

c4

c5

b1

b2
b3
b4

a3

a2

a1

(i)

How many line segments are there joining any two of the points on
different sides?

(ii)

How many triangles can be formed? How many quadrilaterals can be formed
from these points?

Solution
(i)

Number of line segments = 5 4 + 3 4 + 3 5 = 47

(ii)

Case 1: 2 points from AB

5
Number of triangles = 7 = 70
2
Case 2: 2 points from AC
4
Number of triangles = 8 = 48
2
Case 3: 2 points from BC
3
Number of triangles = 9 = 27
2
Case 4: 1 point from each side
5
Number of triangles =
1

3
60
1

Therefore, total number of triangles = 70 + 8 + 27 + 60 = 205

(iii)

Case 1: 2 points on two sides

5
Number of quadrilaterals =
2

3 5 4 3
4
108


2 2 2 2
2

Case 2: 2 points on each side and 1 point each on 2 sides

5
4
3
Number of quadrilaterals = 3 4 5 3 5 4 270
2
2
2
Total number of quadrilaterals = 108 + 270 = 378

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Chapter 1 Permutations and Combinations

3.

Code numbers, each containing three digits, are to be formed from the nine digits 1, 2,
3, ...,9 . In any number no particular digit may occur more than once.
(i)

How many different code numbers may be found, and in how many of these
will 9 be one of the three digits selected?

(ii)

In how many numbers will the three digits occur in their natural order (ie the
digits being in ascending order of magnitude reading from left to right, eg
359)?
Solution:
9
(i)
Number of different code numbers = P3 = 504
8
Number of required code numbers = 3! 168
2
(ii)
4.

(i)

9
Number of ways = 84
3
n red counters and m green counters are to be placed in a straight line.
Find the number of different arrangements.

(ii)

A town has n streets running from south to north and m streets running from
west to east. A man wishes to go from the extreme Southwest intersection to
the extreme Northeast intersection, always moving either north or east along
one of the streets. Find the number of different routes he can take.
Solution:
n m !
(i)
Number of different arrangements =
n !m !
n 1 m 1 ! m n 2 !

(ii)
Number of different routes =
n 1 ! m 1 ! n 1 ! m 1 !
5.

6.

Find the number of ways the positive integer N can be expressed as a sum of integers,
each of which is 1 or 2, when
(i) N is even and (ii) N is odd.
(J89/MCS/5p)
[The order in which the 1s and 2s appear does not matter. e.g. 1 + 1 + 2 is the same as
2 + 1 + 1 and 2 + 1 + 1 ]
Solution:
N
1
(i) Number of ways =
2
N 1
1
(ii) Number of ways =
2
How many diagonals can be drawn in a pentagon? Generalise the result in the case of
a n-sided polygon.
Number of diagonals in a pentagon 5
A n-sided polygon has n vertices, each vertex has (n 1) diagonal lines.
n 3 n diagonals. Or n n
Therefore, there are

2
2
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Chapter 1 Permutations and Combinations

TEMASEK JUNIOR COLLEGE

Supplementary Questions on Permutation & Combination (On Your Own)
(Solutions will be uploaded on Matrix 2.)
1. How many numbers between 10 and 300 can be made from the digits 1, 2, 3, if
(i) each digit may be used only once,
(ii) each digit may be used more than once ?
2. How many combinations of three letters taken from the letters A, A, B, B, C, C, D are
there?
3. A mixed team of ten players is chosen from a class of thirty, eighteen of whom are boys
and twelve of whom are girls.
How many ways can this be done if the team has five boys and five girls?
4. Find the number of ways in which twelve children can be divided into two groups of six
if two particular boys must be in different groups.
5. How many of the permutations of the letters of the word MATHEMATICS do all the
consonants come together?
6. A bridge team of four is chosen from six married couples to represent a club at a match.
If a husband and wife cannot both be in the team, how many ways can the team be
formed?
7. Two sets of books contain five novels and three reference books respectively. How many
ways can the books be arranged on a shelf if the novels and reference books are not
mixed up?
8. A box contains ten bricks, identical except for colour. Three bricks are red, two are
white, two are yellow, two are blue and one is black. How many ways can three bricks
be :
(a) taken from the box
(b) arranged in a row ?
9. How many of the arrangements in a row of all ten bricks in Question 9 are:
(i) the three red bricks separated from each other,
(ii) just two of the red bricks next to each other?
10. In a multiple-choice question there is one correct answer and four wrong answers to each
question. For two such questions, how many ways is it possible to select the wrong
answer to both questions?
11. In Question 10, if a correct answer scores one mark and a wrong answer scores zero, in
answering three such questions how many ways is it possible to score:
(i) 0,
(ii) 1,
(iii) 2?

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Chapter 1 Permutations and Combinations

12. A forecast is to be made of the results of five football matches, each of which can be a
win, a draw or a loss for the home team.
Find the number of different possible forecasts, and show how this number is divided
into forecasts containing 0, 1, 2,3,4,5 errors respectively.
(U of L)
13. Find in factor form the number of ways 20 boys can be arranged in a line from right to
left so that no two of three particular boys will be standing next to each other.
(U of L)
14.

Find how many distinct numbers greater than 5000

and divisible by 3 can be formed from the digits 3, 4, 5, 6 and 0, each digit being used at
most once in any number
(JMB)

15. A certain test consists of seven questions, to each of which a candidate must give one of
three possible answers. According to the answer that he chooses, the candidate must
score 1, 2, or 3 marks for each of the seven questions.
How many different ways can a candidate score exactly 18 marks in the test?
(L)
16. A tennis club is to select a team of three pairs, each pair consisting of a man and a
woman, for a match. The team is to be chosen from 7 men and 5 women. How many
different ways can the three pairs be selected?
(U of L)
17. Show that there are 126 ways in which 10 children can be divided into two groups of 5.
Find the number of ways in which this can be done
(i) if the two youngest children must be in the same group,
(ii) if they must not be in the same group.
(U of L)
18. A committee of three people is to be chosen from four married couples.
Find in how many ways this committee can be chosen
(i) if all are equally eligible,
(ii) if the committee must consist of one woman and two men,
(iii) if all are equally eligible except that a husband and wife cannot both serve on
the committee.
(U of L)
19.

Find the number of integers between 1000 and 4000 which can be formed by using
the digits 1, 2, 3, 4
(i) if each digit may be used only once,
(ii) if each digit may be used more than once.

20. How many different ways can the letters of the word MATHEMATICS be arranged?
How many of these arrangements will two A's be adjacent?
Find the number of arrangements in which all the vowels come together.
(U of L)
21. Find the number of different arrangements of the letters in the word PENCILS in which
(i) the E and the I are together,
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Chapter 1 Permutations and Combinations

(ii)

the E precedes I (not necessary just precede).

Solutions to Supplementary Questions

1

(i) 2-digit nos. : 3 2 = 6 ,

3-digit nos. : 2 2 1 = 4 ,
Total = 10 ways

Two cases:

(ii) 2-digit nos. : 3 3 = 9

3-digit nos. : 2 3 3 = 18
Total = 27 ways
3

Case 1: all different: = 4

3
3

18 12

5 5

Case 2: 1 repeated : = 9 ,
1 1
Total = 13ways

= 6785856
10

Take the two particular boys out, no. of way to divide 10 boys into two groups =
5
10

2 ]
2 and there are 2 ways to assign the two boys into 2 groups. Ans: 2 [
5

= 252
5

M,T,H,M,T,C,S;
Ans:

7!
5!

2!2! 2!

A,E,A,I

6.

= 75600

5! 3! 2 = 1440

(i) 3 R, 2 W, 2 Y, 2 Blue, 1 Black .

Ans :

4 4

(i)

4

1

4

1

3!
2!

10

Total = 1 + 10 + 16 = 27

(ii)
red

7!

= 240

= 109

_ _ _ _ _ _ _

Ans: 2 ! 2 ! 2 !
3

12 10 8 6
4!

Case 3. 2 same 1 different: = 16 ways

1 1
5

12 ways
10 ways
8 ways
6 ways

Case 2. All different : = 10 ways

3

Case 1. All the same : 1 way

(ii) 1 + 3! +
3

1st member :
2nd member :
3rd member :
4th member :

7!

2 ! 2 ! 2 !

8
2 70560
3

35280

Ans : 4 4 =16

11 (i)

4 4 4 = 64

(ii) 4 4 = 48
1

(iii) 4 = 12 or 1 1
2
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Chapter 1 Permutations and Combinations

43
12 no. of errors

no. of ways

5
5
5
5
2 2 10 2 3 10 2 4 10 2 5 10
2
3
4
5

2 10

Total = 243 ways

13

18

3! = 18! 17 16
Ans: 17!
3

14

A no. is divisible by 3 if its sum of all digits is divisible by 3.

Case 1. Use 4,5,6,0

Case 2. Use 3,4,5,0 Case 3. Use 3,4,5,6

5 or
6
2 321
= 12 ways

5 or
6
2 321
= 12 ways

1321
= 6 ways

Case 4. Use 3,4,5,6,0

443 21
= 96 ways

Total = 12 + 6 + 12 + 96 = 126 ways

15

Case 1 5 Questions score 3 marks,

1 Question scores 2 marks
and 1 Question scores 1 mark.

Case 2. 4 Questions score 3 marks,

3 Questions score 2 marks,
0 Question scores 1 mark.

7 2 1

7 3

Ans: + = 77
5 1 1
4 3
16

7

3

5
3 2 1 =
3

19

2100
17

10

2 = 126

(i)

3 3 2 1 = 18

(ii)

3 4 4 4 = 192

(i)

2

2

8

3

= 56

(ii)

(ii)

4

1

4

2

= 24

(iii)

126 56 =

70
18

(i) = 56
3
8 6 4
3!

20
21

11 !
2!2!2!

32

4989600

(i) 6! 2 = 1440

10 !
2!2!

907200 ,

8!
4!

2!2! 2!

120960

(ii) 6! + 5! = 2520
2
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