QA – Combination Basics

Combination:
Combination basically implies selection. It excludes arrangement. For example in how many
ways can a team of 11 players be selected? This is a combination questions. In how many ways
can the batting arrangement of 11 players be decided? This is an arrangement of permutation
question.
The most common formulae for combination is nCr = ( ) =nC(n-r)
Here n is the total number of elements and r is the number of elements selected.

A football club has 25 squad members. In how many ways can 11 players be selected?
25
C11 =25C14 = ( )( )

In how many ways 2 out of A, B and C can be selected?

Number of selection: AB, BC, AC
Say the question is 2 of them has to get rank 1 and rank 2.
Then if A and B are selected then they can be given the ranks in 2 ways: AB or BA
Same would hold true for all selections. This is a permutation or arrangement question and the
first question of mere selection was a ‘combination’ question.

Select two players to play a tennis match, from a class of 20 students. See, whether the match
is between Viru and Jai or Jai and Viru, it does not matter.
So every selection of 2 players will yield a match. So number of matches = 20C2

How many maximum handshakes can be there in a party of 12 persons?

It’s presumed that every pair of person will shake hands once. So maximum number of
handshakes will be 12C2

Say a teacher calls out in a class of 15 that 2 persons come out and help him with the material.
Now if Ram and Shyam are selected them the order is not important. So the number of ways
will be 15C2 . It’s one group, one selection. However in how many ways can they came out of the
class? So it can be Ram first and Shyam second or vice versa.
Then the number of ways will be 15C2 x 2!
Also 15C2 x 2! = 15P2

So out of n items if r items are to be selected then the answer is nCr

Out of n items if r items are to be arranged then we need to select n items and then arrange
them so the answer is nCr x r! = nPr

Important rules for applying nCr:

1) All items are distinct
2) There are no constraints

Proprietary and Confidential ABS Classes 1

QA – Combination Basics

Calculation in Combination
1. nCr = nCn – r (0 ≤ r ≤ n)
2. nC0 = nCn = 1
3. nC1 = nCn-1 = n
n ( )
4. C2 = nCn-2 =
The above should be memorized and one should never feel a need to calculate.
For example: Find the values of
(i)11C1 (ii) 19C18 (iii) 14C0 (iv) 12C12 (v) 8C2

(i)11C1 = 11
(ii) 19C18 = 19
(iii) 14C0 = 1
(iv) 12C12 =1
(v) 8C2 = 7x 4= 28

Easy way to calculate nCr

Select the larger of r and (n-r), say r< (n-r)
( ) ( )
Then nCr = ( )

For example
15
C11 =
10
C7 =
13
C8 =
17
C6 =17C11 =
And so on

Properties
1) nCr– 1 + nCr = n + 1Cr
5
C2 + 5C3 = 6C3

2) If n is even, the greatest value of nCr = nCm where,

For example the highest value of 10Cr is when r=5

3) If n is odd, the greatest value of nCr = nCm where,

( ) ( )

For example the highest value of 19Cr is when r=9 or 10

Proprietary and Confidential ABS Classes 2

QA – Combination Basics

4) rCr + r+1Cr + r+2Cr+…+nCr = n+1Cr+1 ; r ≤ n

2
C2 + 3C2 + 4C2+…+50C2 = 51C3

n
5) C0 + nC1 + nC2 + nC3 +… + nCn = 2n
10
C0 + 10C1 + 10C2 + 10C3 +… + 10C10 = 210 =1024

n
6) C0 + nC2 + nC4 +…=22n

SOME IMPORTANT RESULTS

1. Number of squares in a square of having ‘n’ columns and ‘n’ rows
= 12 + 22 + 32 + … + n2 = Σn2
( )( )
=
2. Number of rectangles in a square having ‘n’ columns and ‘n’ rows
( )
= 13 + 23 + 33 + … + n3 = Σn3 = [ ]
3. Number of squares in a rectangle having ‘m’ columns and ‘n’ rows
= m.n + (m – 1)(n – 1) + (m – 2)(n – 2) + … 0.
4. Number of rectangles in a rectangle having ‘m’ columns and ‘n’ rows
= (1 + 2 + 3 + … + m).(1 + 2 + 3 + … + n).
5. Number of quadrilaterals if m parallel lines intersect ‘n’ parallel lines = mC2 × nC2.
6. Number of terms in (a1 + a2 + … + an)m is m + n – 1Cn – 1.
7. Number of terms in (1 + x + x2 + … + xn)m is m.n + 1

Solved examples

1) There are 11 interviewees of which 5 are to be selected. However Ram and Shyam must
be selected. In how many ways can this be done?
Answer: Since Ram and Shyam must be selected so 2 seats out 5 seats are filled. Now
there are 9 eligible candidates and 3 vacant seats. SO number of ways: 9C3
Number of combinations of n things taken ‘r’ at a time in which x particular things
always occur is n–xCr–x

2) There are 13 interviewees of which 7 are to be selected. However Ram, Shyam and
Ghanshyam can never be selected. In how many ways can this be done?
Answer: Since Ram, Shyam and Ghanshyam must never be selected so there are 10
eligible candidates and 7 vacant seats. SO number of ways: 10C7 =10C3 =

Proprietary and Confidential ABS Classes 3

QA – Combination Basics

Number of combinations of n things taken ‘r’ at a time in which x particular things

never occur is n–xCr

Proprietary and Confidential ABS Classes 4