Permutations & Combinations Rajith Ekanayaka

Fundamental Principle of Counting

2. In a class there are 27 boys and 14 girls. The teacher wants to select one boy and one girl to represent
the class for a function. In how many ways can the teacher make this selection?

3. There are three stations A, B and C, five routes for going from station A to station B and four routes for
going from station B to station C. Find the number of different ways through which a person can go
from A to C via B.

4. Erin has 5 tops, 6 skirts and 4 caps from which to choose an outfit. In how many ways can she select one
top, one skirt and one cap?

5. There are 25 students in a class in which 15 boys and 10 girls. The class teacher selects either a boy or a
girl for monitor of the class. In how many ways the class teacher can make this selection?

6. There are 4 students for Physics, 6 students for Chemistry and 7 students for Mathematics gold medal.
In how many ways one of these gold medals be awarded?

Permutations
1. How many arrangements of the letters in the word GROUP start with a vowel?

2. Four girls and two boys are to sit in a row. The two boys, Alan and Tim, insist on sitting together. In
how many different ways can the six children be arranged?

3. How many odd numbers between 2000 and 3000 can be formed from the digits 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6?

4. Given three red cubes, three blue cubes and three green cubes, in how many ways can three be placed in
a row if they are,
a. Of different colours?
b. All the same colour?

5. In how many ways can seven different trophies be arranged on a shelf?

6. How many three-digit numbers can be formed from a set {2, 3, 4, 5, 6} if the three digits are
a. All different?
b. All the same?

7. How many four-digit numbers can be formed by using 1, 2, 3 and 4? How many of these numbers are,
a. Even?
b. Above 2000?
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Permutations & Combinations Rajith Ekanayaka

8. Find the number of different words that can be formed from the letters of the word “DAUGHTER” so
that the vowels are,
a. Together.
b. Not together.

9. In how many ways can six different books be placed in a rack?

10. How many numbers greater than 4000 can be formed from the integers 1, 3, 5, 7 using each of them
only once in each number?

11. Stevenage telephone numbers have six digits the first of which may not be zero. What is the greatest
possible number of separate lines in Stevenage?

12. How many arrangements can be made from the letters of the word PRINCE if
a. The first letter must be a constant
b. The last letter must be a vowel
c. The P and R must not be separated.

13. How many different ways can be formed the set {1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9} if,
a. The digits are all different
b. The digits are all the same
c. The digits are all different and the number is greater than 60 000?

14. Two different math books and three other books are to be placed on a shelf. How many different
arrangements are possible if,
a. The two maths books are together
b. The two maths books are separated?

15. Twelve children stand in a row. In how many different ways can they be arranged if,
a. One particular child has to stand at one end
b. Two particular children must be separated?

16. Find the number of permutations that can be had from the letters of the word OMEGA,
a. O and A occupying end places.
b. E is always in the middle.
c. Vowel occupying odd places.
d. Vowels being never together.

56
17. If Pr + 6 : 54Pr + 3 = 30800 : 1 find rP2.

( )
18. If n + 5Pn +1 = . n +3Pn find n.

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19. If m + nP2 = 90 and n – mP2 = 30, find the values of m and n.

20. Find the value of r, if

21. Determine the number of permutations of the letter of the word SIMPLETON taken all at a time.

22. How many different signals can be given using any number of flags from 4 flags of different colours?

23. Find the total number of 9-digit numbers which have all different digits.

24. A 5-digit number will be divisible by 3 and is to be formed using the numbers 0, 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 without
repetition. Find the total number of ways in which this can be done.

25. Find the number of permutations of letters a,b,c,d,e,f,g taken all together if neither ‘beg’ nor ‘cad’
pattern appear.

26. How many words can be formed with the letters of the word ARIHANT by rearranging them?

27. Find the number of permutations of letters of the word DADDY DID A DEADLY DEED.

28. There are m men and n monkeys (n>m). If a man can have any number of monkeys, in how many ways
may every monkey have a master?

29. In how many ways can 4 prizes be distributed among 5 students, if no student gets all prizes?

30. Find the number of n-digit numbers, which contain the digits 2 and 7, but not the digits 0, 1, 8, 9.

31. How many four-digit numbers can be formed by using the digits 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, if at least one digit is
repeated?

32. The home team’s results in four hockey matches are to be forecast. Each result can be a win, a draw or a
loss. Find the number of different possible forecasts and show how this number is divided into forecasts
containing 0, 1, 2, 3 and 4 errors respectively.

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Permutations & Combinations Rajith Ekanayaka
Combinations
1. In how many different ways can eight cards be dealt from a pack of fifty-two playing cards?

2. In how many ways can five boys be chosen from a class of twenty boys if the class prefect must be
included?

3. In how many ways can a party of ten children be divided into two groups of
a. Six children and four children?
b. Five children each?

4. How many different combinations of six letters can be chosen from the letters A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H if
each letter may be chosen only once?

5. To complete a quiz contest a team of four is to be selected from a class of twenty children. How many
different teams can be chosen if,
a. The oldest member of the class must be included as the team leader?
b. There is a completely free choice?

6. A shop stocks nine different varieties of tinned meat. In how many ways can a shopper buy three tins if,
a. Three different varieties are chosen?
b. There are two tins of the same variety?

7. The nine members of a committee comprise; one married couple, three more men and four women. In
how many ways can a working party of five people be selected?
a. At least one man and at least one woman must be chosen?
b. The husband or the wife but not both, may be included?
c. It is formed entirely of women?

8. From a large bowl of apples, pears, oranges and bananas, three poece of frouit are chosen. How many
different selections can be made if,
a. The three chosen all different but must include a banana
b. Two are the same kind and the third is different but no pears are chosen?

9. A large box packet contains nine different kinds of biscuits chosen if,
a. Four different varieties are taken?
b. Two each of varieties are selected?
c. Three are the same and fourth is different?
d. All four same?

10. A seller contains thirty different bottles of wine, fifteen different cans of beer and ten different fruit
juices. Six bottles of wine ten cans of beer and three fruit juices are chosen for a party. How many
different selections of drinks are possible?

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Permutations & Combinations Rajith Ekanayaka
11. How many groups of six children can be chosen from a class of twenty, if the class contains one set of
twins who will not be separated?

12. A bookshelf holds six paperbacks and twelve hardbacks. If four books are taken from the shelf, how
many combinations contain at least one paperback?

13. A mixed team of ten players is chosen from a class of thirty, eighteen of whom are boys and twelve of
whom are girls. In how many ways can this be done if the team has five boys and five girls?

14. A team pf two pairs each consisting of a man and a woman, is chosen to represent a club at a tennis
match. If these pairs are chosen from five men and four women, in how many ways can the team be
selected?

15. Four boxes each contain a large number of identical balls, those in one box are red, those in a second
box are blue, those in a third box are yellow and those in the remaining box are green. In how many
ways can five balls be chosen if
a. There is no restriction
b. At least one ball is red?

16. Find the number of ways in which a committee of four can be chosen from six men and six women if,
a. It must contain two men and two women
b. It must contain at least one man
c. Either the youngest man or the youngest woman, but not both, must be included?

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17. If C3r = 15Cr + 3, find rC2 .

18. If nC9 = nC7 , find n.

19. If n + 1Cr + 1 : nCr : n – 1Cr – 1 = 11 : 6: 3 , find the values of n and r.

20. Thiry six games were played in a football tournament with each team playing once against each other.
How many teams were there?

21. Mohan has 8 friends, in how many ways did he invite one or more of them to dinner?

22. A question paper consists of two sections having respectively, 3 and 5 questions. The following note is
given on the paper “It is not necessary to attempt all the questions one question from each question is
compulsory.” In how many ways can a candidate select the questions?

23. A student is allowed to select at least one and almost n books from a collection of 2n + 1 books. If the
total number of ways in which he can select books is 63, find the value of n.

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24. There are three books of Physics, four of Chemistry and five of Mathematics. How many different
collections can be made such that each collection consists of,
a. One book of each subject,
b. Atleast one book of each subject,
c. Atleast one book of mathematics.

25. A Mathematics teacher has 10 different posters to pin up in their classroom is enough space for only five
of them. They have three posters on Algebra, two on Calculus and five on Trigonometry. In how many
ways can they choose the five posters to pin up if,
a. There are no restrictions
b. They decide not to pin up either of the calculus posters
c. They decide to pin up atleast one poster on each of the three topics Algebra, Calculus and
Trigonometry?