Counting Principles and Arrangements
How many possible combinations exist for your outfit choices? Your phone's passcode? These questions involve counting principles that help calculate possibilities.
The Fundamental Counting Principle states that if one event can occur in m ways and another in n ways, then the two events together can occur in m × n ways. Like having 4 main dishes, 2 sides, and 5 desserts gives you 4 × 2 × 5 = 40 possible meals!
Permutations are ordered arrangements where the sequence matters. The number of permutations of n objects is n! (n factorial). For example, 7 survey questions can be arranged in 7! = 5,040 different ways.
🔑 Remember this key difference: Use permutations when order matters (like a lock combination) and combinations when order doesn't matter (like lottery numbers).
When selecting r objects from n objects where order matters, use the formula: ₙPᵣ = n!/n−r!
When order doesn't matter, you're dealing with combinations. The formula is: ₙCᵣ = n!/(n−r)!×r!
For example, selecting 5 books from 8 books:
- If reading order matters: ₈P₅ = 6,720 different ways
- If reading order doesn't matter: ₈C₅ = 56 different ways
These counting principles are super helpful for calculating probabilities in more complex situations, like card games, team selections, or scheduling problems.