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A Teaching- Learning Package in Mathematics 10

Teacher: Maryland V. Pasilan

Method: Five A’s

TLP 18: Permutation

Objectives: Through the discussion and examples, the students will be able to:
1. Illustrates the permutation of objects;
2. Derives the formula for finding the number of permutations of n objects takes r at a time;
3. Solves problem involving permutations.
A. ACTIVATION
Awareness
The teacher will raise the question to the class?
Can you tell how many words we can create in a word “MATH” ?
Followed by the activity.
Activity
Answer the puzzle below.
“What is the only number word in the English language with its letters appearing in alphabetical order?”
WORD PARADE!
PERMUTATION
From the word “permutation”, write as many 3-letter words with or without meaning in English Dictionary.
Then, look for the dictionary meaning of the word “permutation.”
What is a permutation?
Since you know the dictionary meaning of permutation, try to answer the questions below using tree diagram,
table or listing.
1. How many arrangements of the letters of the word MATH can be formed?
2. How many arrangements of the letters of the word MATH can be formed if two of the letters are taken at a
time?
What method you are most convenient with?
B. BUILDING – UP
Analysis
Permutation refers to an arrangement of objects in a definitive order (ORDER MATTERS). In the activity
above, you are tasked to list words that can be formed given the letters or the other word. Changing the order of
the objects being arranged creates a new permutation.
For instance, the 12 permutations of the 4-letter word MATH taken 2 at a time are: MA, MT,MH,
AM,AT,AH,TM,TA,TH,MA,MT, MH.
The permutation of n things or objects taken r at a time can be denoted in difference ways:
 P (n,r) or nPr or P (nr)
But we will adopts the notation P(n,r).
In the illustration, there are 4 letters (MATH) taken 2 at a time.
P(4,2) = 12
Find the number of permutations of n different objects taken r at a time is the same as finding the
number of ways that can fill r places when there are n different things to choose from.

Discussion
Let us have some illustrative examples.
Example 1
How many different ways can 7 students be seated for a selfie if only 4 sets are available?
Solution:

There are 7 objects to choose from: n= 7

There are 4 places to be filled: r = 4
Find: P(n,r) = P (7,4)
Since there are 7 objects to choose from, by FPC (Fundamental Principle of Counting), the 1st seat can
be filled 7 ways. The occupant of the 2nd seat can be chosen from the 6 remaining students. Thus, the 2nd seat
can be filled in 6 ways. After the first two seats are filled, the third and the fourth seats can be filled using the
same reasoning, in 5 and 4 ways, respectively.
7 • 6 • 5 • 4 = 840
Therefore, there are 840 different ways that 7 students can be scared in 4 seats, that is
P (7,4 ) = 840
Some examples of Permutations
 Lock with a definite sequence
 Ranking People (e.g: 1st place, 2nd place or position in election =)
 Specific order in seats (if there is a seat order)
 Forming digits (e.r. 123 is different 231)
 Sequence of draws
Factorial Notation
This notation is important in succeeding lessons.
The product 5 • 4 • 3• 2 • 1 can be written in abbreviated from 5! (read as “five factorial”).
 Practice!
Try This #1!
Find the following:
1. 9! – 6! 2. 3! + 2!

Inductively, the following definition of permutation is arrived at.

Permutation
The number of permutation of n objects taken r at a time is
n!
P (n,r) =
( n−r ) !

Example 2
Evaluate:
P (9 , 3)
a. P (6,4) b. P (13,3) c.
P (7 , 5)
Solutions:

Cancel 2!

Cancel 10!

There is also another way to solve a permutation which we called seat technique.
Seat technique is basically you will count how many seats or position to be filled in or the r in the
formula.
Let’s have the example 2 letter a.
Our permutation represents as P ( 6, 4). So, the positions that we need to fill in is 4.
___ , ____, ____, _____
So instead that we use the formula and memorize it, we us the seat.
___ , ____, ____, _____
In this position, try to imagine that there 6 persons that will seats on 4 chairs, so
__6_ , __5_, __4_,__3_
For the first seat, we can have 6 ways or six persons, on the second seat we can only have 5 ways or 5 persons
can seat on a chair since the other one already sit on the 1st seat. For the third seat, since the two persons already
sits on 1st and 2nd seats, we only have 3 ways or persons. After the 1st – 3rd seats filled, 4th seat can be filled with
same reasoning. So,
6 • 5 • 4 • 3 = 360
Which has the same answer if we use the formula.

Practice!
Try This #2!
Find the following:
P (8 , 5)
1. P (10,5) 2.
P (6 , 3)

Note: You can use any ways to solve some problems.

Let us have some problems.
Example 3
Eight students are lined up to be seated.
a. How many ways can 4 of them be seated in a row of 4 chairs?
b. How many ways can all of them be seated in a row of 8 chains?
Solution:
a. The problems denotes as P (8, 4).
Using the formula,
8!
P (8,4) =
( 8−4 ) !
8!
=
4!
8 •7 •6 •5 • 4 !
=
4!
=8 •7 • 6 •5
= 1, 680
Or we can use the seat technique.
_____, _______, ________, _______
We have
8 •7 • 6 •5 = 1,680
b. This is denotes as P (8,8)
Using the formula,
8!
P (8,4) =
( 8−8 ) !
8!
=
0!
8!
=
1
= 8!
= 8 •7 • 6 • 5 • 4 • 3 • 2 • 1
= 40,320
Or we can use the seat technique.
_____, _______, ________, _______, ________, ________, _______, _______
We have
8 •7 • 6 • 5 • 4 • 3 • 2 • 1 =- 40,320
Note: In doing problems for permutation, you should be logical in every problem.

Practice!
Try This #3!
Solve the problem.
A club with 12 members will elect their officer, in how many ways can they choose a president, a vice
president, a secretary, and a treasurer?

Example 4
How many 4-letter words can be formed from the letters in these words?
a. GOLD B. SILVER
Solution:
a. GOLD has 4 distinct letters (n = 4) and 4-letter words ( r= 4) are to be formed.
We can use the formula or seat technique.

4!
P (4,4) = The seat technique:
( 4−4 ) !
4! _____, ______, ______, ______
=
0! We have,
4!
= 4 • 3 • 2 • 1 = 24
1
= 4!
=4•3•2•1
= 24
b. SILVER has 6 distinct letters (n =6) and 4-letter words (r = 4) are to be formed.

4!
P (6,4) =
( 6−4 ) ! The seat technique:
4! _____, ______, ______, ______
=
2!
We have,
6 •5 • 4 •3 •2 !
= 6 • 5 • 4 • 3 = 360
2!
=6•5•4•3

Permutations with Repetition

There are n distinct (different) objects, you are choosing r objects to arrange and repetitions are allowed.
Example 5
How many different ways can the letters of the following words arranged?
a. QUEZON c. MANILA
b. PANGASINAN d. TAGAYTAY
Solution:
a. The letters of the word QUEZON are distinct from one another.
Thus, these letters can be arranged in
P ( 6 , 6) = 6! = 720 ways
[ Note: You can use the formula or the seat technique. Practice this in your own using any of the ways and
check if you have the correct answer.]
When some objects are not distinct, the number of permutations can be determined using the following rule

b. In the 6-letter word MANILA (n = 6) , there are 2 letters A’s, ( p =2 ). Thus, these letters can be arranged in
6 ! 6 •5 • 4 •3 •2 !
= [2! Is from the letter A repetitions]
2! 2!
= 6 •5 • 4 •3
= 720 ways
 3 • 2 • 1 is from repetition of Letter A (3!)
3! Is from the repetition of letter N (3!)

Practice!
Try This #4!
How many different ways can the letters of the following words arranged?
1. NOTATION 2. BIOLOGY
2 • 1 is from the repetition of Letter T and Y (2!)
3! is form the repetition of Letter A (3!)

Example 6
You are creating a 5 – letter password for your email account and repetitions are allowed. How many
possible passwords can be formed?
Solution:
This task involves selecting 5 letters from 26 letters of alphabet and letters can repeat. Using the
fundamental principle of counting:
26 26 26 26 26
• • • •
letter 1 letter 2 letter 3 letter 4 letter 5
= 265
= 11, 881,376
Thus, in distinct permutations with repetition, nr will give the number of order arrangement when
r objects are taken from n objects.

Circular Permutations

Example 7
How many ways can 9 people sit around a circular table?
Solution:
(n -1) = (9 – 1)!
= 8!
= 40,320
Example 8
How many ways can 5 boys and 5 girls be seated at a round table if :
a. no restrictions are imposed
b. the girls and boys are to occupy alternate seats
c. 3 particular girls must sit together
d. all the girls must sit together.
Solution:
a. The number of arrangements of 10 persons to be seated at a round table is (n-1)! That is,
(n -1)! = (10-1)!
= 9!
= 362, 880
b.

c.

d.
Remember: In doing problems on permutation, you need to analyze if it is a distinct with repetition or
without repetition or if it a circular permutation for you to use the appropriate formulas.

Practice!
Try This #5!
In how many ways can you seat 7 guests in a circular table?

Write your own example of a permutation problem and discuss its solution.

C. CLOSURE
EVALUATION
A. Give the value of each permutation. Show your solutions.
1. P (6,3) 2. P (4,4) 3. P (10,1)

4. P (8,5) 5. P ( 6,2) 6. P (6,6)

7. P (2,2) + (4,2) 8. P (8,3) + P (9,2) 9. P (12,3) • P (10,2)

10. P (11,2) • P (4,4)

B. Solve the following: Show your solutions.