Homework 81

524 Example How many arrangements of five letters can be made of the letters of the word PALLMALL?

Solution: We consider the following cases:

3 · 5!
➊ there are four L’s and a different letter. The different letter can be chosen in 3 ways, so there are = 15
4!
permutations in this case.
5!
➋ there are three L’s and two A’s. There are = 10 permutations in this case.
3!2!
➌ there are three L’s and two different letters. The different letters can be chosen in 3 ways ( either P and A; or P and M;
3 · 5!
or A and M), so there are = 60 permutations in this case.
3!
➍ there are two L’s, two A’s and a different letter from these two. The different letter can be chosen in 2 ways. There are
2 · 5!
= 60 permutations in this case.
2!2!
1 · 5!
➎ there are two L’s and three different letters. The different letters can be chosen in 1 way. There are = 60
2!
permutations in this case.

➏ there is one L. This forces having two A’s and two other different letters. The different letters can be chosen in 1 way.
1 · 5!
There are = 60 permutations in this case.
2!
The total number of permutations is thus seen to be

15 + 10 + 60 + 60 + 60 + 60 = 265.

Homework

525 Problem In how many ways may one permute the letters of the word ➊ How many are there if there are no constraints on the order?
MEPHISTOPHELES?
➋ How many are there if the orange flag must always be first?

526 Problem How many arrangements of four letters can be made out of the letters of ➌ How many are there if there must be a white flag at the beginning and another
KAFFEEKANNE without letting the three E’s come together? white flag at the end?

527 Problem How many numbers can be formed with the digits 529 Problem In how many ways may we write the number 10 as the sum of three
positive integer summands? Here order counts, so, for example, 1 + 8 + 1 is to be
regarded different from 8 + 1 + 1.
1, 2, 3, 4, 3, 2, 1

so that the odd digits occupy the odd places? 530 Problem Three distinguishable dice are thrown. In how many ways can they land
and give a sum of 9?

528 Problem In this problem you will determine how many different signals, each
consisting of 10 flags hung in a line, can be made from a set of 4 white flags, 3 red flags, 531 Problem In how many ways can 15 different recruits be divided into three equal
2 blue flags, and 1 orange flag, if flags of the same colour are identical. groups? In how many ways can they be drafted into three different regiments?

5.6 Combinations without Repetitions

 
n
532 Definition Let n, k be non-negative integers with 0 ≤ k ≤ n. The symbol (read “n choose k”) is defined and denoted
k
by  
n n! n · (n − 1) · (n − 2) · · ·(n − k + 1)
= = .
k k!(n − k)! 1 · 2 · 3 · · ·k