Discover the Number of Permutations for 'Examination' | Problem: Permutations

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In summary, there are 2076 permutations of 4 letters that can be made out of the letters of the word 'examination'. This includes 1680 permutations with all distinct letters, 378 permutations with one pair, and 18 permutations with two pairs. However, there was an error in the solution provided, as the number of permutations with one pair is actually 756 instead of 378. This can also be calculated by considering 3 distinct double sets, 21 possible combinations for the remaining 2 spaces, and arranging them in 24 ways, and then dividing by 2 to account for duplicacy. Thus, the correct total number of permutations is 2454.
  • #1
marutpadhy
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How many permutations of 4 letters can be made out of the letters of the word 'examination'?
 
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  • #2
Hello, marutpadhy!

How many permutations of 4 letters can be made
out of the letters of the word EXAMINATION?

There are 8 distinct letters: [tex]A,E,I,M,N,O,T,X.[/tex]
Three of them are duplicated: [tex]AA,\,II,\,NN.[/tex]

There are three cases to be considered.

[1] Four distinct letters: PQRS
. . .[tex]_8P_4 = 1680[/tex] pemutations.[2] One pair: PPQR
. . .3 choices for the pair.
. . .Select 2 more letters from the other 7: [tex]_7C_2 = 21[/tex] ways.
. . .Arrange the 4 letters in [tex]{4\choose2,1,1} =6[/tex] ways.
There are: .[tex]3\cdot 21\cdot6 \:=\:378[/tex] permutations.[3] Two pairs: PPQQ
. . .[tex]{3\choose2} = 3[/tex] choices for the two pairs.
. . .They can be arranged in [tex]{4\choose2,2} = 6[/tex] ways.
There are: .[tex]3\cdot6 \,=\,18[/tex] permutations.Total: .[tex]1680 + 378 + 178 \:=\:2076[/tex] permutations.
 
  • #3
Thanks for the help. But somehow, I did it ultimately.

But I would also like to mention, that there is some mistake here in the solution:
1. All different: 1068 (fine)
2. One double: 378 (incorrect)
3. Two doubles: 18 (fine)

Now coming to second bit:
What you did there is, you didn't allow the double set to get separated, which is nowhere asked in the problem, just correcting that you get they can be arranged in 12 separate ways.
Just multiply the 3 * 21 * 6 = 756.
Anyways, also this (particularly second bit) could be tried this way:
There are 3 distinct double sets = 3
Remaining 2 spaces can be filled by any two combination of seven other letters: 7!/2!5! = 21
All can be arranged now: *4! = 24(for 4 spaces)
Now, to deal with the duplicacy: /2! (divide by 2 factorial)
Summing all these steps: (3*21*24) / (2) = 756,

Adding all the figures: 1680 + 756 + 18 = 2454.

--------------------------------​

By the way, I do not know how to use latex.
 
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FAQ: Discover the Number of Permutations for 'Examination' | Problem: Permutations

Question 1: What is a permutation?

A permutation is a way of arranging a set of objects in a particular order. In other words, it is a rearrangement of the elements in a set.

Question 2: How many permutations are possible for a given set of objects?

The number of permutations possible for a given set of objects is equal to the factorial of the number of objects in the set. For example, if there are 5 objects, there are 5! (5 factorial) possible permutations.

Question 3: How are permutations different from combinations?

Permutations take into account the order in which objects are arranged, while combinations do not. For example, the permutations of the letters "ABC" would include "ABC" and "CBA", while the combinations would only include "ABC".

Question 4: What is the formula for calculating permutations?

The formula for calculating permutations is n! / (n-r)!, where n is the total number of objects and r is the number of objects being selected for each permutation.

Question 5: How are permutations used in real life?

Permutations are used in many fields, including mathematics, computer science, and statistics. They can be used to solve problems involving arrangements, patterns, and combinations. In real life, they can be used to calculate the number of possible outcomes in games, analyze genetic patterns, and optimize algorithms for data processing.

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