6

Permutations and combinations

Skills check 6. To be odd it must finish with 1, 3 or 5, to be
greater than 30 000 it must start with 3, 4 or 5:
1. HH, TH, HT, TT
these two conditions interact so need to consider
2. H1, H2, H3, H4, H5, H6, T1, T2, T3, T4, T5, T6 starting with 3 or 5 separately from starting with 4.

Exercise 6.1 Start with 4 – then 3 digits can go in last place and
other 3 in any order – gives 3 × 3! = 18 start with 3
1. a) 6! = 720 b) 3! = 6
or 5 – then only two odd digits left to go in last
c) 12! = 479 001 600 place, and other 3 in any order – gives
7! 5! 8! 2 × 2 × 3! = 24
2. a) = 7 b) = 20 c) =1
6! 3! 8! so the total is 18 + 24 = 42 ways.
3. 4! = 24 4. 8! = 40 320 7. a) 3 × 4! = 72 b) 4! = 24
5. 8! = 40 320 6. 5! = 120 8. a) Treat classical as 1 object and arrange the 9
7. 5! = 120 8. 10! = 3 628 800 objects (in 9! ways) then the classical can be
arranged in 6! ways. So 9! × 6! = 261 273 600
Exercise 6.2 ways
8! 15 !
1. a) = 8 b) = 15 × 14 = 210 b) treat the types as 3 objects first (3! ways) – then
7! 13 ! arrange each group – so 3! × 3! × 5! × 6!
120 ! 6! = 3 110 400 ways
c) = 120 d) = 6 × 5 × 4 = 120
119 ! 3!
9. 4! × 3! = 144
18 !
2. a) = 13 366 080 b) 15P12 = 2.18 × 1011.
12 ! Exercise 6.4
3. P5 = 15 120
9
4. P4 = 3024
9 8!
1. a) 8 letters with 2 pairs so = 10 080
2!2!
5. 10P8 = 1 814 400 6. 8P5 = 6720
6!
7. 8P3 = 336 8. 6P4 = 360 b) 6 letters with 1 pair so = 360
2!
6!
Exercise 6.3 2. a) 6 letters with 1 set of 3 so = 120
3!
1. Treat as 5 objects, with the men together as one b) 6 distinct letters so 6! = 720
(5! ways) then ×2 for the order of the men:
3. 8 digits with a set of 3 and two pairs so
2 × 5! = 240
8!
2. a) 8! = 40 320 = 1680
3! 2! 2!
b) Treat as 6 objects, with the couples together as 8!
4. 8 digits with a set of 3 and a set of 5 so = 56
one (6! ways) then ×2 twice for the order of the 3!5!
couples: 2 × 2 × 6! = 2880 5. Any code for the first block can be paired with any
3. a) Treat as 8 objects, with the poetry books from the second – so calculate how many ways for
together as one (8! ways) then ×3! for the order each block and multiply them. Each is similar to

Q4 so ⎛⎜
of the poetry books: 3! × 8! = 241 920 8! ⎞ ⎛ 8! ⎞
⎟×⎜ ⎟ = 28 × 70 = 1960
b) Treat as 8 objects, with the poetry books ⎝ 2!6! ⎠ ⎝ 4!4! ⎠
together as one (8! ways) as before but then the 6. The same reasoning as Q4 applies – 16 digits with
order of the poetry books is fixed: a set of 6 and another set of 10 gives
1 × 8! = 40 320 ⎛ 16 ! ⎞ = 8008. Note that this has to be bigger
⎜ ⎟
4. Only 4 letters can start, then the other 4 can be ⎝ 10 ! 6 ! ⎠
used in any order: 4 × 4! = 96 than the answer to 5 was because any code which
satisfied it would also satisfy this case – and there
5. Has to finish with A, then the other 4 can be used are others.
in any order: 4! = 24

© Oxford University Press 2018: this may be reproduced for class use solely for the purchaser’s institute Permutations and combinations 1
7. a) the 4 spaces are indistinguishable so this is like a) if both girls are in the team then there are
10 ! ⎛9⎞
10 objects with a set of 4 giving = 151 200
4! ⎜ ⎟ = 84 ways to choose the other three team
⎝3 ⎠
b) if the 4 spaces have to be together then it members from 9 people.
becomes a problem with arranging 7 84 2
objects – so 7! = 5040 P(both girls in team) = =
462 11
b) if there are no adults in the team, need to choose
Exercise 6.5 5 out of the other 6 people – so there are only 6
30 !
1. Choose 4 out of 30 is = 27 405 possible teams
26 ! 4 ! 6 1
20 ! P(no adults in team) = =
2. Choose 5 out of 20 is = 15 504 462 77
15 ! 5 ! c) in part b) we know the number of ways to have
n! n! no adults – rather than do 2, 3, 4 or 5 adults
3. a)  = - the denominators are
r !(n − r )! (n − r )! r ! to calculate this directly it is easier to find the
the product of the same two factorials in each number of teams with 1 adult and then take the
case. complement. For 1 adult, need to choose 1 out of
b) choosing r objects to assign to the ‘taken’ group 5 adults and then choose 4 out of the remaining 6
has a one-to-one correspondence with choosing people
the n – r objects to assign to the ‘left behind’ ⎛6⎞
5 × ⎜ ⎟ = 5 × 15 = 75 ways so there is a total of
group. 4 ⎝ ⎠
26 ! 81 possible teams which do not have at least two
4. a) Choose 4 out of 26 – so = 14 950
4 ! 22 ! adults – so the other 381 teams do have at least
b) Need to take away the case where there are no two adults.
vowels – where 4 letters are chosen from the 21 381 127
21! P(at least two adults in team) = =
consonants – which is = 5985, so with at 462 154
4 !17 ! ⎛ 30 ⎞
least one vowel is 14 950 – 5985 = 8965. 4. There are ⎜ ⎟ = 27405 ways to select 4 students
⎝ 4⎠
5. 20% of 25 riders means they have to select 5 at from the class of 30 with no restrictions. If there are
25 ! exactly 2 boys there are also 2 girls and there are
random – so = 53 130 ways.
5 ! 20 ! ⎛ 16 ⎞ ⎛ 14 ⎞
6. Two of the sample are now determined so they
⎜ ⎟ × ⎜ 2 ⎟ = 120 × 91 = 10920 ways to have this.
⎝ 2⎠ ⎝ ⎠
have to randomly select 3 out of 23, so there are 10920 104
23! P(exactly two boys in selection) = =
25
C2 × = 531300 27405 261
3!20!
= 0.398
Exercise 6.6 ⎛ 52 ⎞
1. there is 1 vowel so can choose 3 out of 4 letters for 5. There are ⎜ ⎟ = 6.35 × 1011 possible sets of
⎝ 13 ⎠
there to be no vowels and choose 3 out of 5 letters cards that the player can have – and
when there is no restriction:
⎛4⎞ ⎛ 39 ⎞
⎜ ⎟ = 8122425444 of these have no diamonds.
⎜ ⎟ ⎝ 13 ⎠
⎝3 ⎠ 4 2
P(no vowel) = = = 8122425446
⎛ ⎞ 10 5
5 So P(player has no diamonds) =
⎜ ⎟ 6.35 × 1011
⎝3⎠
= 0.0128
2. there are 3 vowels in nine letters so can choose
4 out of 6 letters for there to be no vowels 6. there are 8! = 40320 orders the eight people can
and choose 4 out of 9 letters when there is no stand in. For each husband and wife to be together
restriction: there are 4! = 24 orders for the pairs to appear and
⎛6⎞ then each pair can appear in either order so there are
⎜ ⎟ 24 × 2 × 2 × 2 × 2 = 384 orders altogether.
⎝4⎠ 15 5
P(no vowel) = = = 384
⎛ 9 ⎞ 126 42
⎜ ⎟ P(each husband is beside his own wife) =
40320
⎝4⎠
1
3. There are ⎛⎜ ⎞⎟ = 462 ways to choose the team of
11 =
105
⎝ 5⎠
5 out of 11 people with no restrictions.
© Oxford University Press 2018: this may be reproduced for class use solely for the purchaser’s institute Permutations and combinations 2
Summary exercise 6 6. i) There are 9! = 362 880 permutations of 9
objects in a row.
1. There are 12 people being assigned into 4 groups
ii) There are 6 × 5 = 30 ways to choose the
12 !
of 3 – = 369 600 first and last consonants. The number of
3!3!3!3!
arrangements with consonants at start and end
2. There are 10 people in a line so there are a total of (and no other constraint) = 30 × 7! = 151 200.
10! possible arrangements. If they are all standing

If 3 vowels appear together (6 ways to order
in their couples you can think of 5 objects (the
them) there are 5! = 120 ways to put the 7 letters
couple) and then each couple can be arranged in
(with the vowels as a block) in for each of those
one of two ways so a total of 5! × 25 ways. P(each
6 orders. So the number of arrangements which
wife standing beside her husband)
start and end with a consonant and do have the
5! × 25 3840 1
= = = three vowels together = 30 × 6 × 120 = 86 400.
10! 3 628800 945

So the number of arrangements which start
3. 2, 3, 5, 7, 8 Divisible by 3 if sum of digits is and end with a consonant, and do not have
divisible by 3 the three vowels together = 151 200 – 86 400 =
∴ possible digits 2, 3, 7;  2, 5, 8;  3, 7, 8;  3, 5, 7 64 800.
3! arrangement of each i.e. 6.
7. i) 14C 9 = 726 485 760
4 × 6 = 24 possible numbers divisible by 3
ii) Treating the 5 empty spaces together as one
Total no of possible numbers is 5!
object, this is 10! = 3 628 800
24 1
∴ probability = = ( ii )
5! 5 iii) 1 − = 0.995
(i)
4. 2, 4, 6, 7, 9, 11
iv) Customers are more likely to take the empty
only differ by 1 if 6 and 7 together ∴ combine to parking space near the entrance to the store
1 number. than just randomly take any of the available
No of arrangement is 5! spaces, so the assumption would not be
but 6 and 7 have 2 arrangements. reasonable.
∴ total number of arrangements = 2 × 5!
= 240 If you arrange the 5 couples first (5! ways) then
8.  i) 
each couple can be in 2 orders so 5!× 25 = 3840.
Total no of arrangements of 6 digits is 6!
ii) Lawyers or partners can be put first, then
240 1
∴ P(card differs from neighbour by 1) is = each group can be arranged in 5! ways, so
6! 3
5! × 5! × 2 = 28 800
5. If you choose 3 women and 2 men to sit in the
9. i) You need to choose 2 of the remaining 8
front row then there will be 4 women and 1 man in
people: 8C 2 = 28
the second row.
ii) All adults in the team can be done in 5 ways
Or you can choose 4 women and 1 man to sit in
(choose 4 out of 5); if there are no adults in
the front row and then there will be 3 women
the team you need to choose 4 out of the other
and 2 men in the second row. This is the same as
6 (6C 4 = 15), so a total of 20 ways.
choosing 3 women and 2 men!
iii) 2 girls in team – choose 2 out of 3 and 2 out of
Then for each of these choices of people in the
other 7: 3C 2 × 7C 2 = 3 × 21 = 63
rows, the 5 people in the row can be arranged in 5!
= 120 ways (for each row). 
3 girls in team – choose 1 out of the other 7
people: 7 ways.
Choosing 3 women (from 7) and 2 men (from
3) can be done in 7C3 × 3C 2 = 35 × 3 = 105 ways, so So at least 2 girls can be chosen in 70 ways.
altogether there are 2 × 105 × 120 × 120 ways or
3 024 000 possible ways the group can be seated.

© Oxford University Press 2018: this may be reproduced for class use solely for the purchaser’s institute Permutations and combinations 3