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Combinatorial Problems and Solutions

The document consists of a series of mathematical problems related to combinations, arrangements, and permutations involving digits, teams, and groups of people. It includes specific questions about forming numbers with given digits, selecting teams from different genders, and arranging books under various conditions. Each problem is followed by a point value, indicating the complexity or weight of the question.
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0% found this document useful (0 votes)
13 views28 pages

Combinatorial Problems and Solutions

The document consists of a series of mathematical problems related to combinations, arrangements, and permutations involving digits, teams, and groups of people. It includes specific questions about forming numbers with given digits, selecting teams from different genders, and arranging books under various conditions. Each problem is followed by a point value, indicating the complexity or weight of the question.
Copyright
© All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

1

1 There are 720 different 5-digit numbers that can be formed using the digits 1, 2, 3, 5, 7 and 8, if each digit
may be used only once in any number.

How many of these 5-digit numbers are even and greater than 30 000?

[4]

[Total: 4]

2 The number of combinations of n items taken 3 at a time is 6 times the number of combinations of n items
taken 2 at a time. Find the value of the constant n.

[4]
2

[Total: 4]

3 The number of combinations of n items taken 3 at a time is 92n. Find the value of the constant n.

[4]

[Total: 4]

4 There are 360 different 4-digit numbers that can be formed using the digits 2, 3, 5, 7, 8 and 9, if each digit
may be used only once in any number.

How many of these numbers are odd and greater than 7000?

[4]

[Total: 4]
3

5 A team of 8 players is to be chosen from 6 girls and 8 boys. Find the number of different ways the team may
be chosen if

(a) there are no restrictions,

[1]

(b) all the girls are in the team,

[1]
4

(c) at least 1 girl is in the team.

[2]

[Total: 4]

6 A group of people is to be selected from 5 women and 3 men.

(a) Calculate the number of different groups of 4 people that have exactly 3 women.

[2]
5

(b) Calculate the number of different groups of at most 4 people where the number of women is the same
as the number of men.

[2]

[Total: 4]

7 6 books are to be chosen from 8 different books.

(a) Find the number of different selections of 6 books that could be made.

[1]

A clock is to be displayed on a shelf with 3 of the 8 different books on each side of it. Find the number of
ways this can be done if

(b) there are no restrictions on the choice of books,

[1]
6

(c) 3 of the 8 books are music books which have to be kept together.

[2]

[Total: 4]

8 To compete in a quiz, a team of 5 is to be chosen from a group of 9 men and 6 women. Find the number of
different teams that can be chosen if

(a) there are no restrictions,

[1]

(b) at least two men must be on the team.

[3]

[Total: 4]
7

9 Five different books are to be arranged on a shelf. There are 2 Mathematics books and 3 History books. Find
the number of different arrangements of books if

(a) the Mathematics books are next to each other,

[2]

(b) the Mathematics books are not next to each other.

[2]

[Total: 4]
8

10 Two teams, each of 4 students, are to be selected from a class of 8 boys and 6 girls. Find the number of
different ways the two teams may be selected if

(a) there are no restrictions,

[2]

(b) one team is to contain boys only and the other team is to contain girls only.

[2]

[Total: 4]
9

11 A quiz team of 6 children is to be chosen from a class of 8 boys and 10 girls. Find the number of ways of
choosing the team if

(a) there are no restrictions,

[1]
10

(b) there are more boys than girls in the team.

[4]

[Total: 5]
11

12 A school has 3 concert tickets to give out at random to a class of 18 boys and 15 girls.
Find the number of ways in which this can be done if

(a) there are no restrictions,

[1]

(b) 2 of the tickets are given to boys and 1 ticket is given to a girl,

[2]

(c) at least 1 boy gets a ticket.

[2]

[Total: 5]
12

13 (a) How many different 5-digit numbers can be formed using the digits 1, 2, 4, 5, 7 and 9 if no digit is
repeated?

[1]

13 (b) How many of these numbers are even?

[1]

(c) How many of these numbers are less than 60 000 and even?

[3]

[Total: 5]

14 (a) Find how many different numbers can be formed using 4 of the digits
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7 if no digit is repeated.

[1]
13

Find how many of these 4-digit numbers are

(b) odd,

[1]

(c) odd and less than 3000.

[3]

[Total: 5]

15 A 4-digit number is to be formed from the digits 1, 2, 5, 7, 8 and 9. Each digit may only be used once. Find
the number of different 4-digit numbers that can be formed if

(a) there are no restrictions,

[1]
14

(b) the 4-digit numbers are divisible by 5,

[2]

(c) the 4-digit numbers are divisible by 5 and are greater than 7000.

[2]

[Total: 5]
15

16 Tickets for a concert are given out randomly to a class containing 20 students. No student is
given more than one ticket. There are 15 tickets.

(a) Find the number of ways in which this can be done.

[1]

There are 12 boys and 8 girls in the class. Find the number of different ways in which

(b) 10 boys and 5 girls get tickets,

[3]

(c) all the boys get tickets.

[1]

[Total: 5]
16

17 Jess wants to arrange 9 different books on a shelf. There are 4 mathematics books, 3 physics books and
2 chemistry books. Find the number of different possible arrangements of the books if

(a) there are no restrictions,

[1]

(b) a chemistry book is at each end of the shelf,

[2]
17

(c) all the mathematics books are kept together and all the physics books are kept together.

[3]

[Total: 6]

18 A security code is to be chosen using 6 of the following:


• the letters A, B and C
• the numbers 2, 3 and 5
• the symbols * and $.
None of the above may be used more than once. Find the number of different security codes that may be
chosen if

(a) there are no restrictions,

[1]
18

(b) the security code starts with a letter and finishes with a symbol,

[2]

(c) the two symbols are next to each other in the security code.

[3]

[Total: 6]
19

19 A committee of 6 members is to be selected from 5 men and 9 women. Find the number of different committees
that could be selected if

(a) there are no restrictions,

[1]

(b) there are exactly 3 men and 3 women on the committee,

[2]

(c) there is at least 1 man on the committee.

[3]

[Total: 6]
20

20 Jack has won 7 trophies for sport and wants to arrange them on a shelf. He has 2 trophies for cricket, 4 trophies
for football and 1 trophy for swimming. Find the number of different arrangements if

(a) there are no restrictions,

[1]

(b) the football trophies are to be kept together,

[3]
21

(c) the football trophies are to be kept together and the cricket trophies are to be kept together.

[3]

[Total: 7]

21 Eight books are to be arranged on a shelf. There are 4 mathematics books, 3 geography books and 1 French
book.

(a) Find the number of different arrangements of the books if there are no restrictions.

[1]
22

(b) Find the number of different arrangements if the mathematics books have to be kept together.

[3]
23

(c) Find the number of different arrangements if the mathematics books have to be kept together and the
geography books have to be kept together.

[3]

[Total: 7]

22 There are twenty numbered balls in a bag. Two of the balls are numbered 0, six are numbered 1, five are
numbered 2 and seven are numbered 3, as shown in the table below.

Number on ball 0 1 2 3

Frequency 2 6 5 7

Four of these balls are chosen at random, without replacement. Calculate the number of ways this can be
done so that

(a) the four balls all have the same number,

[2]
24

(b) the four balls all have different numbers,

[2]

(c) the four balls have numbers that total 3.

[3]

[Total: 7]

23 A committee of four is to be selected from 7 men and 5 women. Find the number of different committees
that could be selected if

(a) there are no restrictions,

[1]

(b) there must be two male and two female members.

[2]
25

A brother and sister, Ken and Betty, are among the 7 men and 5 women.

(c) Find how many different committees of four could be selected so that there are two male and two female
members which must include either Ken or Betty but not both.

[4]

[Total: 7]

24 (a) (i) Find how many different 4-digit numbers can be formed using the digits 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 if no
digit is repeated.

[1]
(ii) How many of the 4-digit numbers found in part (i) are greater than 6000?

[1]

(iii) How many of the 4-digit numbers found in part (i) are greater than 6000 and are odd?

[1]
26

(b) A quiz team of 10 players is to be chosen from a class of 8 boys and 12 girls.

(i) Find the number of different teams that can be chosen if the team has to have equal numbers of
girls and boys.

[3]

(ii) Find the number of different teams that can be chosen if the team has to include the youngest
and oldest boy and the youngest and oldest girl.

[2]

[Total: 8]

25 (a) A team of 7 people is to be chosen from 5 women and 7 men. Calculate the number of different ways
in which this can be done if

(i) there are no restrictions,

[1]

(ii) the team is to contain more women than men.

[3]
27

(b) (i) How many different 4-digit numbers, less than 5000, can be formed using 4 of the 6 digits 1, 2,
3, 4, 5 and 6 if no digit can be used more than once?

[2]
(ii) How many of these 4-digit numbers are divisible by 5?

[2]

[Total: 8]

26 (a) How many even numbers less than 500 can be formed using the digits 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5? Each digit may
be used only once in any number.

[4]
28

(b) A committee of 8 people is to be chosen from 7 men and 5 women. Find the number of different
committees that could be selected if

(i) the committee contains at least 3 men and at least 3 women,

[4]

(ii) the oldest man or the oldest woman, but not both, must be included in the committee.

[2]

[Total: 10]

Common questions

Powered by AI

Selecting 6 books from 8 without restrictions is done via combinations: C(8,6) = 28 ways .

Treat the 4 mathematics books as one 'block' and the 3 physics books as another 'block'. Arrange these along with the 2 remaining books in 4! ways. Arrange the 4 math books in 4! and the 3 physics books in 3!. Combine all, resulting in 103,680 different arrangements .

To be odd, the number's last digit must be one of 3, 5, 7, or 9. For numbers greater than 7000, if the first digit is 7, 8, or 9, the last digit can be 3 or 5. Calculating combinations, there are 72 such numbers .

If Ken is included, exclude Betty: select 3 from the remaining 6 men and 5 women. If Betty is included, exclude Ken: select 3 from the remaining pool. Sum these outcomes for a total of 85 possible committees .

A 4-digit number divisible by 5 must end in 5. For numbers over 7000, the first digit can be 7, 8, or 9. Calculate combinations with the remaining digits, giving 18 qualifying numbers .

To be even and less than 5000, an applicable number ends in 2 or 4, with leading numbers fulfilling constraints. Calculate permutations using valid digits with these constraints, resulting in 48 numbers .

When selecting 8 players from 6 girls and 8 boys, at least one girl must be included. First calculate the total combinations without restriction: C(14,8). Then subtract cases with no girls: C(8,8). The result is 2030 ways with at least one girl in the team .

Using combination formulas, set C(n,3) = 6 x C(n,2). Solving n(n-1)(n-2)/6 = 6n(n-1)/2 yields n = 7 after simplifying and solving for n .

For a balanced team of 5 boys and 5 girls, calculate C(8,5) for boys and C(12,5) for girls, resulting in 792 valid combinations .

To form an even 5-digit number greater than 30000 using the digits 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, and 8, the last digit must be even (2 or 8) and not repeated, and the entire number must be formed from different digits. For the number to be greater than 30000, the first digit must be 3, 5, 7, or 8 if the last digit is 2, or 3, 5, or 7 if the last digit is 8. Calculating both cases, the total is 360 numbers that satisfy these conditions .

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