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| 10 Theory slides |
| 10 Exercises - Grade E - A |
| Each lesson is meant to take 1-2 classroom sessions |
Here are a few recommended readings before getting started with this lesson.
Vincenzo is playing with the following letters.
Many situations involve the rearrangement of a specific set of objects. These are called permutation problems. Below, the definition of permutation and its corresponding formula are discussed.
A permutation is an arrangement of objects in which the order is important. For example, consider constructing a number using only the digits 4, 5, and 6 without repetitions. Any of the three digits can be picked for the first position, leaving two choices for the second position, then only one choice for the third position.
Listing all the permutations may be a difficult task when many objects are being arranged. In these cases, the Permutation Formula can be used instead.
The number of permutations of n different objects arranged r at a time — denoted as nPr — is given by the following formula.
nPr=(n−r)!n!,r≤n
The exclamation sign in the formula indicates that the factorial of a value must be calculated. As a direct consequence, since 0!=1, when n=r the number of permutations is given by the factorial of n.
nPn=n!
An alternative notation for nPr is P(n,r).
The formula can be proven by using the Fundamental Counting Principle. In an arrangement with r elements, there are n choices for the first element, n−1 choices for the second element, n−2 choices for the third element, and so on.
Position | Number of Choices |
---|---|
1 | n |
2 | n−1 |
3 | n−2 |
⋮ | ⋮ |
r | (n−r+1) |
Write as a product
Write as a factorial
LHS/(n−r)!=RHS/(n−r)!
The following cities are the ten most visited cities in Europe.
Rank | City |
---|---|
1 | London, UK |
2 | Paris, France |
3 | Istanbul, Turkey |
4 | Antalya, Turkey |
5 | Rome, Italy |
6 | Prague, Czech Republic |
7 | Amsterdam, Netherlands |
8 | Barcelona, Spain |
9 | Vienna, Austria |
10 | Milan, Italy |
n=10
Write as a product
Multiply
n=10, r=3
Subtract term
Write as a product
Cancel out common factors
Simplify quotient
1a=a
Multiply
In the 2020 Olympic Games, the competitors of the men's 100 meter freestyle swimming finals came from the following countries.
Men’s 100 Meter Freestyle Swimming Finals | |
---|---|
United States | Australia |
Russia | France |
South Korea | Italy |
Hungary | Romania |
n=8, r=3
Subtract term
Write as a product
Cancel out common factors
Simplify quotient
1a=a
Multiply
The number of favorable outcomes is the number of ways the Italian, French, and Australian athletes can win the gold, silver, and bronze medals, respectively. Although there is only one way for the order of the first three positions, there are several ways for the order of the remaining five positions. All these are favorable outcomes.
Example Favorable Outcomes | ||
---|---|---|
Italy | Italy | Italy |
France | France | France |
Australia | Australia | Australia |
United States | Hungary | South Korea |
Russia | Romania | Russia |
South Korea | Russia | United States |
Hungary | United States | Hungary |
Romania | South Korea | Romania |
Substitute values
ba=b/120a/120
ba=a÷b
Round to 3 decimal place(s)
In other situations, only the selected objects are important, not the order in which they come. These problems are called combination problems. Below, the definition of combination and its corresponding formula are developed.
A combination is a selection of objects in which the order is not important. Combinations focus on the selected objects. For example, consider choosing two different ingredients for a salad from five unique options in a salad bar.
The number of combinations of n different objects taken r at a time — denoted as nCr — is given by the following formula.
The exclamation mark in the formula indicates that the factorial of the value should be calculated. As a direct consequence of the above formula, since 0!=1, when n=r the number of combinations is 1.
An alternative notation for cCr is C(n,r).
Kriz is going on vacation next month and wants to pack 4 books from their must-read list. Each of the books belongs to one of the following genres.
Kriz’s List of Books By Genres | |
---|---|
Fantasy | Romance |
Mystery | Fiction |
Biography | Graphic Novel |
Drama | History |
Western | Poetry |
The order in which the books are selected is not crucial.
n=10, r=4
Subtract term
Write as a product
Cancel out common factors
Simplify quotient
Write as a product
Multiply
Calculate quotient
Kriz has decided that they will select 5 of their books at random instead of 4. However, they would prefer to bring at least one book from the fantasy, mystery, and drama genres. What is the probability of them choosing these three genres if the selection pool consists of 10 books from 10 different genres? Write the answer in percentage form rounded to 1 decimal place.
The probability of an event is the ratio of the number of favorable outcomes to the number of possible outcomes.
The probability of an event is the ratio of the number of favorable outcomes to the number of possible outcomes.
n=10, r=5
Subtract term
Write as a product
Cancel out common factors
Simplify quotient
Write as a product
Multiply
Calculate quotient
n=7, r=2
Subtract term
Write as a product
Cancel out common factors
Simplify quotient
2!=2
Multiply
Calculate quotient
3 of the 5 books selected are a fantasy, a mystery, and a drama.By substituting the number of favorable outcomes and the number of possible outcomes into the Probability Formula, P(A) can be found.
Number of favorable outcomes=21, Number of possible outcomes=252
ba=b/21a/21
ba=a÷b
Round to 3 decimal place(s)
Convert to percent
Magdalena teaches algebra to a group of 10 students. While making a list to track their attendance, she wonders whether at least 2 students have the same birthday. For simplicity, suppose that all years have exactly 365 days.
at leastmeans that any outcome with 2 or more students with the same birthday is a favorable outcome. Therefore, the following outcomes are all the possible favorable outcomes.
Favorable Outcomes | ||
---|---|---|
2 have the same birthday | 3 have the same birthday | 4 have the same birthday |
5 have the same birthday | 6 have the same birthday | 7 have the same birthday |
8 have the same birthday | 9 have the same birthday | 10 have the same birthday |
Identity Property of Multiplication
Rewrite 1 as 365365
Multiply fractions
a⋅am=a1+m
Identity Property of Multiplication
Rewrite 1 as (365−n)!(365−n)!
a⋅cb=ca⋅b
365⋅364⋅363⋅…⋅(365−n+1)⋅(365−n)!=365!
In this case, A is the event that at least 2 students out of 10 have their birthday on the same day.
A | A′ |
---|---|
At leat 2 students out of 10 have their birthday on the same day. | No one of the 10 students shares a birthday. |
n=10
365P10=(365−10)!365!
Subtract term
Write as a product
Cancel out common factors
Simplify quotient
1a=a
Use a calculator
Round to 2 decimal place(s)
n=30
365P30=(365−30)!365!
Subtract term
Write as a product
Cancel out common factors
Simplify quotient
1a=a
Use a calculator
Subtract term
Round to 2 decimal place(s)
Permutations and combinations can be used in many situations. Understanding these mathematical concepts can help solve many intricate problems. With this in mind, reconsider the problem in which Vincenzo wants to create arrangements by using the following letters.
Begin by calculating the number of ways of selecting 3 vowels and 4 consonants. The order of the arrangements is essential.
Because the arrangements consist of 3 vowels and 4 consonants, they have 7 letters. An example arrangement is shown.
n=5, r=3
Subtract term
Write as a product
Cancel out common factors
Simplify quotient
Multiply
2!=2
Calculate quotient
n=6, r=4
Subtract term
Write as a product
Cancel out common factors
Simplify quotient
Multiply
2!=2
Calculate quotient
We are told that each position on the volleyball team has a special responsibility. Therefore, the order in which people are selected matters. This means we are looking for the permutations. To find the number of permutations, we can use the permutation formula. _nP_r=n!/(n-r)! Because the roster is 8 players and we need to select 6 of them, we need to evaluate the formula when n is 8 and r is 6.
There are 20 160 ways to pick the 6 people.
If Diego has been picked for the position of setter, there is one less player on the roster and one less position that needs to be filled. Again, since order matters, we want to determine the number of permutations when selecting 5 players from a roster of 7.
There are 2520 teams where Diego has the setter position.
The probability of an event A is given by the ratio of the favorable outcomes to the ratio of the possible outcomes. P(A)=Number of favorable outcomes/Number of possible outcomes In a previous exercise, we found that the number of ways to pick the team is 20 160, the number of possible outcomes. We found that in 2520 teams, Diego has the setter position. This is the number of favorable outcomes. Number of favorable outcomes: 2520 Number of possible outcomes: 20 160 Therefore, by calculating the ratio of 2520 to 20 160, we can determine the probability that Diego will be picked as the setter. P(Diego picked as setter)=2520/20 160 ⇕ P(Diego picked as setter)=1/8
This time, the order in which Ramsha selects the team does not matter. This means that we are dealing with combinations, not permutations. Therefore, to find the number of combinations when selecting 6 out of 8, we can use the combination formula. _nC_r=n!/r!(n-r)! Let's substitute 8 for n and 6 for r into the formula and evaluate.
There are 28 ways to pick the team if the order does not matter.
Tadeo has a new 3-digit combination lock for his locker at the gym. The code can have any number from 0 to 9 without repetitions.
We have 10 digits to form a 3-digit code. 3-digit code [0.5em] ? ? ? However, for the first digit of the code, there are only 9 choices because the code cannot begin with 0. Valid Code 1 2 3 [0.8em] NotValid Code 3 2 Moreover, we can see that a different arrangement of the same digits creates a different code. 1 9 3≠9 3 1 Therefore, we have a permutation problem. After choosing the first digit, we have nine options to place for the remaining two positions. This means that we need to find the different arrangements of 2 out of 9. To do it, we can use the permutation formula. _nP_r=n!/(n-r)! Let's evaluate the formula when n is 9 and r is 2.
We have 9 ways to choose the first digit and 72 for the other two. Therefore, by the Fundamental Counting Principle, the product of these values gives us the total number of unique codes Tadeo can create. 9* 72=648unique codes
The probability of an event A is given by the ratio of the number of favorable outcomes to the number of possible outcomes. P(A)=Number of favorable outcomes/Number of possible outcomes In this case, the favorable outcomes represent the code of Tadeo's lock. Since the code is unique, there is only 1 favorable outcome. Number of favorable outcomes= 1 Now, we know that the first digit is 4. This leaves 9 remaining digits for the other two digits of the code. Therefore, the number of favorable outcomes is given by the different arrangements of 2 out of 9, which is 72. Then, the probability that Tadeo guesses correctly on the first try is given by the ratio of 1 to 72. P(Tadeo correct on the first try)=1/72
A pizza shop sells plain pizzas with tomato sauce and cheese. They also have 10 additional different toppings that can be chosen when creating a pizza. How many different pizzas can be created with three or fewer extra toppings added to a plain pizza?
From ten toppings, we can select three or fewer of them when ordering a pizza. Note that three or fewer means selecting no extra toppings or one, two, or three extra toppings. Let's analyze each case one at a time.
With no extra toppings, we only have 1 choice of pizza. A plain pizza with tomato sauce and cheese.
If we choose one extra topping, we have 10 different pizzas to choose from, depending on which of the 10 extra toppings we want to add.
Notice that when applying toppings, the order does not matter. For example, a pizza with cheese and ham is the same as a pizza with ham and cheese. Therefore, we can express two extra toppings mathematically as the number of combinations when choosing 2 items from a group of 10. _(10)C_2
Similarly, the order does not matter when selecting three toppings. Therefore, the different ways of adding three toppings can be expressed as a combination of 3 out of 10. _(10)C_3
If we add the different pizzas we can create with three or fewer toppings, we get the total number of pizzas we can create. We have found that for no extra topping and for one topping, we have 1 and 10 possible pizzas, respectively. Let's use a graphing calculator to calculate the remaining combinations.
If we add all these combinations, we get the total number of pizzas we can make with three toppings or fewer toppings from a selection of ten toppings. 1+10+45+120=176
To use the graphing calculator to calculate the number of combinations, start by entering the number of extra toppings we have to choose from.
Next, push MATH and then scroll right until we reach PRB. Then, scroll down to the third row and push ENTER.
Finally, by entering the number of toppings to be chosen and hitting ENTER, we can calculate the number of combinations.