Permutation &

Combination
Arielle T. Tan, LPT
Instructor, SLSU – Laboratory
Schools
In this lesson, we will…
 Illustrate the permutation of objects

 Derive formula for finding the number of permutation of

objects taken at a time

 Solve problems involving permutation

EXPLORE:
An anagram is a type of word play. The results of rearranging the
letters of a word or phrase to produce a new word or phrase using
the original letters exactly one.
For example, the word heir is an anagram of the word hire.
Find anagrams of these words. (Hint: Body Parts)

a. Keen e. Lamp
b. Café f. Fringe
c. Inch g. Earth
d. Sink h. Impart
Definition: PERMUTATION
 PERMUTATION of the set of objects is an ordered
arrangement of the items.

 The number of permutation taken at a time is denoted by .

 The total number of permutation of a set of objects is given

by .
Example 1
Evaluate:

5 𝑃5
5 × 4 ×3 × 2× 1=1 20
8𝑃8
8 ×7 × 6 ×5 × 4 × 3 ×2 ×1=40 320
Example 2:

In how many ways can six books be arranged on

a shelf?
Solution:

6 𝑃 6 ¿ 6 ×5 × 4 × 3 ×2 ×1=1 20
TRY THIS!

In how many ways can seven students be arranged

in a line?
Permutation of different objects taken at
a time
 The number of permutation of a set of objects taken at a
time denoted by is given by
𝑛!
𝑛𝑃𝑟=
( 𝑛− 𝑟 ) !
 In the formula, . The formula does not make sense if . Try to
see for yourself is invalid when
Example 3:

Evaluate:

8𝑃4 8!
8 𝑃 4= =1680
(8 − 4 )!
10 𝑃2
10 !
8 𝑃 4= =90
( 10 − 2 ) !
Example 4

In how many ways can 3 people be arranged in a

row for a photograph if they are selected from a group
of 5 people?
Solution:
There are 5 people to choose from. Thus, . Moreover, from these 5
people, we will choose only 3 people for arrangement. Thus, .
Evidently, order of selection is important. Therefore, the number of
ways is:
TRY THIS!

A class is to select a president, a vice –

president, a secretary and a treasurer from 7 class
members. How many arrangement of class officers
are possible?
 TRY THIS!

In how many different ways can a chairperson

and secretary be selected from a committee of 9
people?
TRY THIS!

How many different signals can be made from

seven different flags if four flags are displayed in a
row?
 PERMUTATION with IDENTICAL
OBJECTS
The number of arrangements (in a row) of objects when objects
are identical, objects are identical, and so on … is:

Where
EXAMPLE 5:

How many possible arrangements of the letters

of the word ASSESS are there?
Solution:

The word ASSESS has 6 letters and thus, we are going to

arrange 6 objects in a row. So, . In that word, we have 4 identical
objects (the 4 S’s). Hence, the number of possible arrangements is:
TRY THIS!

How many possible arrangements of the letters

of the word MISSISSIPPI are there?
TRY THIS!

The covered walk of a school is to be lined with

flags. How many different arrangements are there
of the 10 flags if 5 are blue, 3 are red, and 2 are
white?
TRY THIS!

An automobile dealer has 3 Fords, 2 Buicks, and

4 Dodges to place in the front row of his car lot. In
how many different ways by make of car can he
display the automobiles?
 TRY THIS!
In how many ways can we arrange the letters of the word
FACTORIZED such that the vowels must appear in the arrangement
alphabetically?

NOTE:
The vowels in the said word are These letters (wherever they are)
must appear in the following order:

EXAMPLES:
DFACETRIZO
TAEFDZICOR
TRY THIS!

In how many ways can we arrange the letters of the

word FACTORIZED such that the vowels, and
consonants must appear in the arrangement
alphabetically?
TRY THIS!

Six boys and five girls are to be arranged a line. How

many possible arrangements can be made for them if the
boys must be put in the line according to their ascending
height? Assume that boys have different heights.
DEFINITION: COMBINATION
The number of different arrangements of objects using of them
in which
a. the objects are distinct.
b. once an object is used, it cannot be repeated, and
c. order is not important
𝑛!
is given by the formula 𝑛𝐶 𝑟 = 𝑟 ! ( 𝑛 −𝑟 ) !

is read as “ combination of taken at a time or “ choose ”

 DISSTINCTION BETWEEN &
Suppose that we have 4 letters to choose from. Let us
say, A, B, C, and D. For instance, if our task is to choose two
letters, the possible ways to select are:

PERMUTATION: COMBINATION:

A, B B, A C, A D, A A, B B, C
A, C B, C C, B D, B A, C B, D
A, D B, D C, D D, C A, D C, D
EXAMPLE 6:

In how many ways can Mary select two friends to

go to a movie with if she has 7 friends to choose
from?
Solution:
In this case, we have & . Evidently, order of selection does not matter.
So, we will use combination. Therefore,
EXAMPLE 7:

Suppose that 3 students have to represent the

school for a math competition. The teacher has to
choose from 10 finalist. How many possible selections
can be made?
Solution:
In this problem, we have & . The order of selection is not important
since the essence of the team lies on the members themselves
regardless of the manner by which they are chosen. Thus,
EXAMPLE 8:

How many combinations can be made from H, O, P, E if

the letters are taken
a. one at a time?
b. two at a time?
c. three at a time?
d. four at a time?
TRY THIS!

How many combinations can be made from B, E,

A, U, T, Y if the letters are taken
a. one at a time?
b. two at a time?
c. three at a time?
d. four at a time?
e. five at a time?
f. six at a time?
EXAMPLE 9

In how many ways can a team consisting of 2

boys and 3 girls be formed if 6 boys and 10 girls
qualified to be in a team?
Solution:
The problem can be separated into two parts: the number of ways
the boys can be chosen, , and the number of ways the girls can be
chosen, . The committee can be formed in
6! 10 !
6 𝐶 2 ∙10 𝐶¿3 ∙
2! 4! 3! 7!
¿ 15 ∙120
ways
 TRY THIS!

In how many ways can a committee consisting

of 3 teachers and 3 students be formed if there
are 5 teachers and 6 students to choose from?
 Example 10

A box contains 6 red balls and 4 blue balls. Three

balls are drawn at random. In how many ways can
the 3 balls be drawn from 10 balls?
a. if the color is not considered?
b. if two balls are red and one is blue?
c. if all three balls are red?
d. if all three balls are blue?
 Solution:
a. There are 120 ways of selecting 3 balls from 10

b.
There are 60 ways to select 2 red balls
from 6 red balls, and 1 blue ball from 4
blue balls
¿ 60
 Try This!

A bag contains 7 white balls and 5 black balls.

Five balls are drawn at random. In how many
ways can the 5 balls be drawn from 12 balls.
a. if the color is not considered?
b. if 3 balls are white and 2 balls are black?
c. if all 5 balls are white?
d. if all 5 balls are black?
 Example 11
A math teacher requires each student to solve 5
out of 15 problems. Of the 15 problems, 3 are in
Statistics, 7 are in Algebra, and 5 are in Geometry. In
how many ways can a student select each of the
following for the 5 problems:
a. 5 Algebra problems?
b. 5 Statistics or Geometry problems?
c. 3 Statistics or 2 Geometry problems?
d. 5 Geometry problems?
 Try This!
A dance instructor ask each student to do 4 out of
the 10 dance routines. Of the 10 dance routines, 2
are easy, 5 are moderately difficult, and 3 are difficult.
In how many ways can a student select each of the
following for the 4 dance routines?
a. 4 easy or moderately difficult routines
b. 2 moderately difficult and 2 difficult routines
c. 4 moderately difficult routines
d. 3 difficult and 1 moderately difficult routines