PERMUTATIONS AND
COMBINATIONS
With and Without Repetition
permutations & combinations
3-digit PIN example (000–999) Friends on a bench Ice cream cones with 5 flavors
Quick
challenge!
How many ways can I arrange
these 3 cards?
In how many different ways can we
arrange a group of objects?
Introduction
How many possible selections can we
make from a larger set?
Does the order of selection matter?
Are we allowed to repeat elements?
Introduction (contd.)
Permutations - arrangements where order matters
Combinations - selections where order does not matter
Motivation and relevance
Probability and Statistics
Computer Science and Data Science
Biology and Medicine
Economics and Social Sciences
Learning objectives
• Explain the difference between permutations and combinations
• Determine whether order matters in a given problem
• Compute permutations without repetition
• Compute permutations with repetition
• Compute combinations without repetition
• Compute combinations with repetition
• Apply the appropriate formulas to real-world problems
Fundamental counting principle
(rule of product)
If one event can occur in m ways and a second independent event can
occur in n ways, then the two events together can occur in
𝑚×𝑛 ways.
Example
Suppose you have 3 shirts, and 2 pairs of trousers. The number of
different outfits you can form is:
3×2 = 6
This simple idea will now be extended to more complex counting
problems.
Permutations (order
matters)
A permutation is an arrangement of
objects where the order is
important.
For example, given a set {A, B, C}, the
permutations ABC, ACB, BAC, BCA,
CAB, and CBA are all distinct because
they arrange the elements in different
orders.
Permutations without repetition
Problem Setup
Suppose we have n distinct objects, and we want to arrange r of them without
reusing any object.
Derivation
• The first position can be filled in n ways
• The second position in (n − 1) ways
• The third position in (n − 2) ways
• Continue until r positions are filled
Formula
The number of permutations of n objects taken r at a time is:
Example 1
In how many ways can 3 students be
selected and arranged as student union
representatives from 5 students?
Here: 𝑛 = 5 and 𝑟 = 3
5! 120
𝑃 5,3 = = = 60
3! 2
Special case
(permutations of all objects)
When all n objects are arranged, the
number of permutations is:
𝑃 𝑛, 𝑛 = 𝑛!
Example 1
How many ways can 4 books be
arranged on a shelf?
4! = 24
Example 2
In how many different ways can 4 students be seated in 4 distinct chairs
arranged in a row?
Step 1: Identify the counting type
• Order matters: Sitting A–B–C–D is different from B–A–C–D.
• No repetition: Each student can occupy only one chair.
Therefore, this is a problem of permutations without repetition.
Step 2: Apply the formula
Here: 𝑛 = 4 (number of students),𝑟 = 4 (number of positions)
𝑃 4 4 = 4! = 24 different seating arrangements of the 4 students.
Formula
If there are n distinct objects and we form
an arrangement of r positions, allowing
repetition, then the number of
permutations is:
𝑛!
Example 1
How many 4-digit PIN codes can be
formed using the digits 0–9?
𝑛 = 10digits; 𝑟 = 4positions
10! = 10,000
Permutations with
Here, repetition is allowed because digits
repetition allowed can appear more than once.
Example 2
In how many different ways can a 3-letter password be formed using the
letters 𝐴 𝐵 𝐶 𝐷 if letters may be repeated?
Identify the Counting Type
• Order matters: ABC is different from BCA, so arrangement matters.
• Repetition is allowed: A letter can be used more than once (e.g., AAB, DDD).
Therefore, this is a case of permutations with repetition.
Finish up the solution
Combinations (order does not matter)
• A combination is a selection of objects where order is not
important.
• If changing the order does not produce a new outcome, then we
are dealing with combinations.
𝐴 𝐵 𝐶 and 𝐶 𝐵 𝐴 are considered identical.
Combinations without repetition
Motivation
Consider selecting committee members:
• The group {A, B, C} is the same as {C, B, A}
• Order does not matter
Formula
The number of combinations of n objects taken r at a time is:
𝑛 𝑛!
𝐶(𝑛, 𝑟) = =
𝑟 𝑟! 𝑛 − 𝑟 !
Example 1
In how many ways can 3 students be
selected from 5 students to form a
committee?
5! 120
𝐶(5,3) = = = 10
3! 2! 12
Example 2
A department has 8 students. In how many different ways can a
research team of 3 students be selected?
Identify the Counting Type
• Order does not matter: The team {A, B, C} is the same as {C, B, A}.
• Repetition is not allowed: A student cannot be selected more than once.
Therefore, this is a combination without repetition problem.
Identify Parameters
Number of students: 𝑛 = 8; Number of students selected: 𝑟 = 3
Finish up the solution
Combinations with repetition allowed
Situation
This occurs when:
• Objects can be chosen more than once
• Order does not matter
Formula
The number of combinations of n distinct objects, taken r at a
time, with repetition allowed is:
𝐶 (𝑛 + 𝑟 – 1, 𝑟)
Example 1
How many ways can 3 sweets be selected from 5 types of sweets,
if repetition is allowed?
C(5 + 3 − 1, 3) = 𝐶(7,3) = 35
Example 2
A cafeteria offers 5 types of fruits: Apple,
Banana, Orange, Mango, Pineapple. In how
many different ways can a student select 3
fruits, if the same type of fruit can be chosen
more than once?
Identify the Counting Type
• Order does not matter: Selecting (Apple,
Banana, Mango) is the same as (Mango,
Banana, Apple).
• Repetition is allowed: The student may
choose more than one fruit of the same
type (e.g., Apple, Apple, Orange).
Therefore, this is a combination with
repetition problem.
Finish up the solution
Common mistakes to
avoid
• Using permutations when order does not
matter
• Forgetting whether repetition is allowed
• Confusing 𝑃 𝑛 𝑟 with 𝐶 𝑛 𝑟
Summary table
Repetition
Situation Order Matters? Formula
Allowed?
!!
Permutation Yes No
!#$ !
$
Permutation Yes Yes 𝑛
!!
Combination No No
$! !#$ !
Combination No Yes 𝐶(𝑛 + 𝑟 − 1, 𝑟)