Math Analysis Honors Basic Combinatorics – Combinations
Combinations – selecting n objects for r spaces, an arrangement without regard for order.
Combinations
The number of arrangements of n objects using r of them, in
which
1. the n objects are distinct.
2. no repetition is allowed.
3. order is not important.
n!
can be determined by n Cr
r!n r !
Example 1 In each of the following scenarios, tell whether permutations (ordered) or combinations (unordered) are being
described.
a) A president, vice-president, and secretary are chosen from a 25-member committee.
b) A cook chooses 5 potatoes from a bag of 12 potatoes to make a potato salad.
c) A teacher makes a seating chart for 22 students in a classroom with 30 desks.
Example 2 In a beauty pageant, 51 contestants must be narrowed down to 10 finalists who will compete on national
television. In how many ways can the ten finalists be selected?
Example 3 The Georgia Lotto requires winners to pick 6 integers between 1 and 46. The order in which you select them
does not matter. How many different lottery tickets are possible?
Example 4 In the original version of poker, called “straight” poker, a five-card hand is dealt from a standard deck of 52.
How many different straight poker hands are possible?
Example 5 Juan has money to buy only three of the 48 albums available on iTunes. How many different sets of albums
can he purchase?
Example 6 Armando’s Pizzeria offers patrons any combination of up to 10 different toppings. How many different pizzas
can be ordered if
a) we can choose any three toppings?
b) we can choose any number of toppings (0 through 10)?
Example 7 A national hamburger chain provides 8 toppings for its burgers. How many different burgers are possible if
a) we can choose any 4 toppings?
b) we can choose any number of toppings (0 through 8)?
Example 8 There are 680 three-digit numbers that are available for use as area codes in North America, 305 of which
were actually being used. Within a given area code, how many unique phone numbers are theoretically possible?
Math Analysis Honors – Worksheet 54 Basic Combinatorics – Combinations
Tell whether permutations or combinations are being described.
1. 13 cards selected from a deck of 52 for a hand in a game of “13”.
2. 7 digits are selected (without repetition) to from a telephone number.
3. 4 students are selected from the senior class to form a committee.
4. 4 actors are chosen to play the Beatles in a film biography.
5. List all the combinations of 5 objects A, B, C, D, and E taken 3 at a time.
6. In how many ways can a committee of 3 teachers be formed from a department having 8 teachers?
7. How many arrangements of answers are possible for true/false test with 10 questions?
8. A student dance committee is to be formed consisting of 2 boys and 3 girls. If the membership is to be chosen
form 4 boys and 8 girls, how many different committees are possible?
9. You can answer any 12 questions from a total of 14 questions on an exam. In how many ways can you select the
questions you answer?
10. In how many ways can two class representatives be chosen from a group of fifteen students?
11. In how many ways can the Segerstrom High School track coach select four runners to run the 4x400 relay if there
are nine available runners from which to choose?
12. You are forming a 12-member swim team from 10 girls and 15 boys. The team must consist of 5 girls and 7 boys.
How many different 12-member teams are possible?
13. In how many distinguishable ways can the letters in the word EXPONENT be arranged?
14. Ten people walk into In-n-Out at the same time. In how many ways can the first three people be served?
15. In how many ways can a Pre-Calculus teacher select 6 students to do problems on the board if there are 35
students in the class?