Combination of n objects taken r at a time examples

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permutations and combinations, the various ways in which objects from a set may be selected, generally without replacement, to form subsets. This selection of subsets is called a permutation when the order of selection is a factor, a combination when order is not a factor. By considering the ratio of the number of desired subsets to the number of all possible subsets for many games of chance in the 17th century, the French mathematicians Blaise Pascal and Pierre de Fermat gave impetus to the development of combinatorics and probability theory.

The concepts of and differences between permutations and combinations can be illustrated by examination of all the different ways in which a pair of objects can be selected from five distinguishable objects—such as the letters A, B, C, D, and E. If both the letters selected and the order of selection are considered, then the following 20 outcomes are possible:

Combination of n objects taken r at a time examples

Combination of n objects taken r at a time examples

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Each of these 20 different possible selections is called a permutation. In particular, they are called the permutations of five objects taken two at a time, and the number of such permutations possible is denoted by the symbol 5P2, read “5 permute 2.” In general, if there are n objects available from which to select, and permutations (P) are to be formed using k of the objects at a time, the number of different permutations possible is denoted by the symbol nPk. A formula for its evaluation is nPk = n!/(n − k)! The expression n!—read “n factorial”—indicates that all the consecutive positive integers from 1 up to and including n are to be multiplied together, and 0! is defined to equal 1. For example, using this formula, the number of permutations of five objects taken two at a time is

Combination of n objects taken r at a time examples

(For k = n, nPk = n! Thus, for 5 objects there are 5! = 120 arrangements.)

For combinations, k objects are selected from a set of n objects to produce subsets without ordering. Contrasting the previous permutation example with the corresponding combination, the AB and BA subsets are no longer distinct selections; by eliminating such cases there remain only 10 different possible subsets—AB, AC, AD, AE, BC, BD, BE, CD, CE, and DE.

The number of such subsets is denoted by nCk, read “n choose k.” For combinations, since k objects have k! arrangements, there are k! indistinguishable permutations for each choice of k objects; hence dividing the permutation formula by k! yields the following combination formula:

Combination of n objects taken r at a time examples

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This is the same as the (n, k) binomial coefficient (see binomial theorem; these combinations are sometimes called k-subsets). For example, the number of combinations of five objects taken two at a time is

Combination of n objects taken r at a time examples

The formulas for nPk and nCk are called counting formulas since they can be used to count the number of possible permutations or combinations in a given situation without having to list them all.

The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica This article was most recently revised and updated by Erik Gregersen.

Permutation and combination are the ways to represent a group of objects by selecting them in a set and forming subsets. It defines the various ways to arrange a certain group of data. When we select the data or objects from a certain group, it is said to be permutations, whereas the order in which they are represented is called combination. Both concepts are very important in Mathematics. 

Permutation and combination are explained here elaborately, along with the difference between them. We will discuss both the topics here with their formulas, real-life examples and solved questions.  Students can also work on Permutation And Combination Worksheet to enhance their knowledge in this area along with getting tricks to solve more questions.

What is Permutation?

In mathematics, permutation relates to the act of arranging all the members of a set into some sequence or order. In other words, if the set is already ordered, then the rearranging of its elements is called the process of permuting. Permutations occur, in more or less prominent ways, in almost every area of mathematics. They often arise when different orderings on certain finite sets are considered.

What is a Combination?

The combination is a way of selecting items from a collection, such that (unlike permutations) the order of selection does not matter. In smaller cases, it is possible to count the number of combinations. Combination refers to the combination of n things taken k at a time without repetition. To refer to combinations in which repetition is allowed, the terms k-selection or k-combination with repetition are often used. Permutation and Combination Class 11 is one of the important topics which helps in scoring well in Board Exams.

There are many formulas involved in permutation and combination concepts. The two key formulas are:

Permutation Formula

A permutation is the choice of r things from a set of n things without replacement and where the order matters.

nPr = (n!) / (n-r)!

Combination Formula

A combination is the choice of r things from a set of n things without replacement and where order does not matter.

Combination of n objects taken r at a time examples

Learn how to calculate the factorial of numbers here.

Difference Between Permutation and Combination

PermutationCombination
Arranging people, digits, numbers, alphabets, letters, and colours Selection of menu, food, clothes, subjects, team.
Picking a team captain, pitcher and shortstop from a group. Picking three team members from a group.
Picking two favourite colours, in order, from a colour brochure. Picking two colours from a colour brochure.
Picking first, second and third place winners. Picking three winners.

Uses of Permutation and Combination

A permutation is used for the list of data (where the order of the data matters) and the combination is used for a group of data (where the order of data doesn’t matter).

Video Lessons on Permutation and Combination

Permutation and Combination

Combination of n objects taken r at a time examples

Principle of Inclusion and Exclusion

Combination of n objects taken r at a time examples

Problems based on Permutations and Combinations

Combination of n objects taken r at a time examples

Permutation and combination for Kids

Combination of n objects taken r at a time examples

Solved Examples of Permutation and Combinations

Example 1: 

Find the number of permutations and combinations if n = 12 and r = 2.

Solution: 

Given,

n = 12
r = 2

Using the formula given above:

Permutation:

nPr = (n!) / (n-r)! =(12!) / (12-2)! = 12! / 10! = (12 x 11 x 10! )/ 10! = 132

Combination:

\(\begin{array}{l}_{n}C_{r} = \frac{n!}{r!(n-r)!}\end{array} \)

\(\begin{array}{l}\frac{12!}{2!(12-2)!} = \frac{12!}{2!(10)!} = \frac{12\times 11\times 10!}{2!(10)!} = 66\end{array} \)

Example 2:

In a dictionary, if all permutations of the letters of the word AGAIN are arranged in an order. What is the 49th word?

Solution:

Start with the letter A The arranging the other 4 letters: G, A, I, N = 4! = 24 First 24 words
Start with the letter G arrange A, A, I and N in different ways: 4!/2!  = 12 Next 12 words
Start with the letter I arrange A, A, G and N in different ways: 4!/2! = 12 Next 12 words

This accounts up to the 48th word. The 49th word is “NAAGI”.

Example 3:

In how many ways a committee consisting of 5 men and 3 women, can be chosen from 9 men and 12 women?

Solution:

Choose 5 men out of 9 men = 9C5 ways = 126 ways

Choose 3 women out of 12 women = 12C3 ways = 220 ways

Total number of ways = (126 x 220)= 27720 ways

The committee can be chosen in 27720 ways.

Permutation and Combination – Practice Questions

Question 1: In how many ways can the letters be arranged so that all the vowels come together? Word is “IMPOSSIBLE.”

Question 2: In how many ways of 4 girls and 7 boys, can be chosen out of 10 girls and 12 boys to make the team?

Question 3: How many words can be formed by 3 vowels and 6 consonants taken from 5 vowels and 10 consonants?

From the above discussion, students would have gained certain important aspects related to this topic. To gain further understanding of the topic, it would be advisable that students should work on sample questions with solved examples. To learn more about different maths concepts, register with BYJU’S today.

Frequently Asked Questions on Permutations and Combinations

What do you mean by permutations and combinations?

A permutation is an act of arranging objects or numbers in order.
Combinations are the way of selecting objects or numbers from a group of objects or collections, in such a way that the order of the objects does not matter.

Give examples of permutations and combinations.

An example of permutations is the number of 2 letter words that can be formed by using the letters in a word say, GREAT; 5P_2 = 5!/(5-2)!
An example of combinations is in how many combinations we can write the words using the vowels of the word GREAT; 5C_2 =5!/[2! (5-2)!]

What is the formula for permutations and combinations?

The formula for permutations is: nPr = n!/(n-r)!
The formula for combinations is: nCr = n!/[r! (n-r)!]

What are the real-life examples of permutations and combinations?

Arranging people, digits, numbers, alphabets, letters, and colours are examples of permutations.
Selection of menu, food, clothes, subjects, the team are examples of combinations.

Write the relation between permutations and combinations.

The formula for permutations and combinations are related as:
nCr = nPr/r!

Give the applications of permutation and combination in mathematics.

In Mathematics, the concept called “permutation and combinations” are applied in probability, relations and functions, set theory and so on.

What is the factorial formula?

The factorial formula is used in the calculation of permutations and combinations, which is obtained by taking the product of all numbers in the sequence (i.e., from 1 to n). For example, 3! = 3 × 2 × 1 = 6.

What does nCr represent?

nCr represents the number of combinations from “n” objects taken “r” at a time.

What is combination of n objects taken r at a time?

The number of permutations of n objects taken r at a time is determined by the following formula: P(n,r)=n! (n−r)!

What does n combination r mean?

Answer: Insert the given numbers into the combinations equation and solve. “n” is the number of items that are in the set (4 in this example); “r” is the number of items you're choosing (2 in this example): C(n,r) = n! / r!

What is n and r in permutation example?

Permutation when repetition is allowed The permutation with repetition of objects can be written using the exponent form. When the number of object is “n,” and we have “r” to be the selection of object, then; Choosing an object can be in n different ways (each time).