Activity IV.

Statistical Experiments and Counting Rules

Learning Outcomes:

At the end of this activity, the learners will be able to;

1. Perform the operations involving the different counting techniques.

2. Find the number of ways from n objects using permutations and

combinations.

3. Determine the sample space and event of an experiment.

MOTIVATION
In this activity, you will know how to draw samples from a deck of
cards, ways and sequence of events like tossing a coin or dice. You will be
expose to the different counting techniques, know its application and
purpose.

DISCUSSION
A Statistical Experiment is a process that generates data and such
a process can be repeated under similar conditions. Examples are tossing
a coin, tossing a die, drawing a ball from a box, determining whether a drug
is effective or not, measuring the effect of a substance on the growth of a
particular plant, etc.

A Sample Space is a set of all possible outcomes of an experiment, which

is denoted by S.

Example: Determine the sample space in each of the following experiment.

 a.) Tossing a coin once.
b.) Tossing a coin twice.
c.) Tossing a die once.
d.) Tossing a die twice.
e.) Giving a drug to 2 patients.

Solutions:

a.) S = {H, T}.

b.) S = {HH, HT, TH, TT}
c.) S = {1,2,3,4,5,6}
d.) S = { (1,1), (1,2), (1,3), (1,4), (1,5),
(1,6),(2,1),(2,2),(2,3),(2,4),(2,5),(2,6),(3,1),(3,2),(3,3,),(3,4),(3,5),(3,6),
(4,1),(4,2),(4,3),(4,4),(4,5),(4,6),(5,1),(5,2),(5,3),(5,4),(5,5),(5,6),(6,1),(
6,2),(6,3),(6,4),(6,5),(6,6)}
e.) S = {ss,sf,fs,ff} where s stands for success and f stands for failure.

A Sample Point refers to each outcome in the sample space.

In the example above (a), the sample points are H and T.

An Event is a subset of the sample space, denoted by capital letters such

as A, B, C, …, Z.

Example:

a.) In tossing a coin twice, if A is the event of getting two heads, then A =
{HH}.
 b.) In tossing a coin twice, if B is the event of getting at least one head,
then B = {HT, TH, HH}.

A Null Space or Empty Space is an event that contains no sample point,

denoted by or { }. A null space is also called an impossible event.

Example: In tossing a die twice, if C is the event of getting a total of 13 dots

in the two tosses, then C = { } or .

A Disjoint or mutually exclusive events are events that do not have

sample points in common.

Example: Consider the experiment tossing a die twice. Let A be the event
of getting a total of 4 dots and B be the event of getting a total of 3 dots.
Then A = {(1,3), (2,2), (3,1)} and B = {(1,2), (2,1)}. Events A and B are
disjoint or mutually exclusive events.

In the next discussion, we will study how to count the total number of
sample points in the sample space without actually listing all the possible
outcomes. These techniques can aid in computing probabilities of some
events.
Counting Principles

A. Fundamental Principle of Counting (FPC)

If an operation can be performed n ways and if for each of these a
second operation can be done in ways, then the two operations
can be done in ways.

Example: How many sample points are there in the sample space when a
pair of dice is thrown once?

Solution: The first die can land in any of 6 ways. For each of these 6 ways
the second die can also land in 6 ways. Therefore, the pair of dice can land
in (6)(6) = 36 ways.

Example: How many sample points are in the sample space when a coin is
tossed three times?

Solution: (2) (2) (2) =8 sample points

B. Permutation – is an ordered arrangement of all or a part of n distinct

objects.

Property 1: The number of permutations of n distinct objects taken

all at a time is n!

Example: How many distinct permutations can be made from the

letters of the word “MAY”?
Solution: There are 3 letters that can be chosen for the first
position, 2 letters that can be chosen for the second position, 1 letter
for the third position. Hence, there are n! = 3! = 3 = 6 distinct
permutations that can be made from the letters of the word “MAY”.
These permutations are MAY, MYA, AMY, AYM, YMA, and YAM.

Example: In how many ways can An, Joe, Al, Fe, and Cale be seated
in a row of 5 chairs?

Solution: n! = 5! = 5 = 120 ways.

Property 2: The number of permutations of n distinct o objects

taken r at a time is

Example: If two prizes, the first and the second prize, will be awarded
among 4 students, how many ways can this be done assuming that
only one prize will be won by a winner?

Solution: n = 4, r = 2: = = = = 12 possible

permutations or arrangements.
Example: Find the number of ways in which 5 Statistics teachers can
be assigned to 3 sections of Math 104 subject if no teacher is
assigned to more than one sections.
Solution: The total number of ways is

= = = = 60.

Property 3: The number of permutations of n distinct object

arranged in a circle is (n-1)!
Example: In how many ways can 6 different varieties of orchids be
planted in a circle?
 Solution: There are n=6 varieties of orchids. The number of
permutations is (6-1)! = 5! = 5 x 4 x 3 x 2 x 1 = 120. That is, there are
120 ways of planting these orchids in a circle.
Property 4: The number of distinct permutations of n things of
which are of one kind (or alike), of a second kind, . . . ,
of the kind, is given

by , where n = .

Example: How many different ways can 3 red, 4 yellow, and 2 green
bulbs be arranged in a string of Christmas lights with 9 sockets?

Solution: the total number or distinct arrangements is =

= 1,260

Example: In how many ways can we arrange the letters of the word
“statistics”?
Solution: There are 10 letters in all of which 3 are letter s, 3 are

letter t, 2 are letter i, 1 letter c. Therefore, the answer is = 50,

400 ways.
 C. Partitioning – is subdividing a set of objects into k cells ( or groups)
without regard to order. We call two outcomes as different when at
least 1 of the cells has a change in the membership. For example, if
we subdivide a, b, c and d into 2 groups with 2 members each group
then the possible outcomes are:
Group 1 Group 2
1.) ab cd
2.) ac bd
3.) ad bc
4.) bc ad
5.) bd ac
6.) cd ab
Hence, there are only 6 possible outcomes.

In general, the number of ways we can partition n distinct

objects into k cells of which the first cell will contain
objects, the second cell will contain objects, …, the cell
will contain objects, is given by

= Where = n.

Example: In how many ways can we assign 7 persons to 2 single, 1

double, and 1 triple rooms?

Solution: = 420
 D. Combination- is the number of ways of selecting r objects without
regard to order. This is a special case of partitioning in which the
elements are automatically divided into two groups, the selected
(composed of r objects) and the non – selected (composed of n-r
objects).

The number of combinations of n distinct objects taken r at a time

is = .

Example: From 4 mathematicians and 3 statisticians, find the number of

committees of size 3 that can be formed

a.) Without restriction;

b.) If it should have 2 mathematicians and 1 statistician
Solution:

a.) = = = = 35

b.) The number of of ways of selecting two mathematicians from a

group of four is

= = = 6.

The number of of ways of selecting one statistician from a group of three

statisticians is

= = =3.

Using the fundamental principle of counting, the number of committees of

size three that can be formed with two mathematicians and one statistician
is =6 committees.