Partial Permutation, Combination question for buying dogs at the pet store

  • #1
Memo
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TL;DR Summary: A pet store has 5 Chihuahua, 3 Fox and 4 Poodle. A person wants to buy 7 dogs. How many ways for the person to choose and buy with at least 3 Chihuahua and 2 Poodle.

There're C(5,3)*C(4,2) ways to buy dogs with at least 3 Chihuahua and 2 Poodle.
There're C(7,2) ways to buy dogs of any breeds.
In conclusion, there're C(5,3)*C(4,2)*C(7,2)=1260 ways for the person to pick and buy dogs.
Could someone check if my solution is correct? Thank you very much.
 
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  • #2
Your solution is wrong.
 
  • #3
PeroK said:
Your solution is wrong.
Could you be more specific? thanks.
 
  • #4
Memo said:
Could you be more specific? thanks.
You are double/multiple counting cases where more than three Chihuahua's and/or more than 2 Poodles are bought.

Note: it's not clear to me whether the question is at least 2 Poodles or exactly 2 Poodles.
 
  • #5
PeroK said:
You are double/multiple counting cases where more than three Chihuahua's and/or more than 2 Poodles are bought.

Note: it's not clear to me whether the question is at least 2 Poodles or exactly 2 Poodles.
I still don't get what you mean, could you point out whether it's the first or second part, or the whole part.
I think the question implies at least 2 Poodles
 
  • #6
Memo said:
I still don't get what you mean, could you point out whether it's the first or second part, or the whole part.
I think the question implies at least 2 Poodles
How many ways are there to choose 7 dogs from 12 total?
 
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  • #7
PeroK said:
How many ways are there to choose 7 dogs from 12 total?
Ok, I see that my answer exceed the total possible ways. If 5 dogs are certain then they're 7 dogs left, and the person picks 2 out of 7 regardless of their breeds. How do I fix it?
 
  • #8
Memo said:
Ok, I see that my answer exceed the total possible ways. If 5 dogs are certain then they're 7 dogs left, and the person picks 2 out of 7 regardless of their breeds. How do I fix it?
If we have at least 3 C's and at least 2 P's, then there are a number of different combinations that must be calculated separately. I don't see a quick way. I put the calculations on an Excel spreadsheet.

In any case, the possibilities are:
CPF
520
430
421
340
331
322

You can then, if you want, calculate all the other possibilities where there either ##C < 3## or ##P < 2## and check that the sum of all the possibilities is ##\binom{12} 7##.
 
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  • #9
PS that's why I thought the question might mean exactly two P's. Because that's simpler, as there are only three cases.
 
  • #10
I think you can group three Chihuahua's ##C_3##, and group 2 Poodles ##P_2##, leaving 2 dogs to select in any way.
 
  • #11
erobz said:
I think you can group three Chihuahua's ##C_3##, and group 2 Poodles ##P_2##, leaving 2 dogs to select in any way.
Not easily without multiple counting. That was the OP's initial error.
 
  • #12
PeroK said:
Not easily without multiple counting. That was the OP's initial error.
Yeah...never mind, not exactly straight forward.
 
  • #13
PeroK said:
If we have at least 3 C's and at least 2 P's, then there are a number of different combinations that must be calculated separately. I don't see a quick way. I put the calculations on an Excel spreadsheet.

In any case, the possibilities are:
CPF
520
430
421
340
331
322

You can then, if you want, calculate all the other possibilities where there either ##C < 3## or ##P < 2## and check that the sum of all the possibilities is ##\binom{12} 7##.
So would the answer be 6^3=216 ways? Like 5C 2P and 2P 5C would be considered the same but still in 2 options
 
  • #14
Memo said:
So would the answer be 6^3=216 ways? Like 5C 2P and 2P 5C would be considered the same but still in 2 options
You have to sum combinations for each specific case ( each row in the table ), I don't get 216 when I do that.
 
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  • #15
Memo said:
So would the answer be 6^3=216 ways? Like 5C 2P and 2P 5C would be considered the same but still in 2 options
Not at all. There are six possibilities that are all different. You have to calculate them all.

Do you know how to use a spreadsheet?
 
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  • #16
PeroK said:
Not at all. There are six possibilities that are all different. You have to calculate them all.

Do you know how to use a spreadsheet?
No, I can't use a spreadsheet while in exams. Is there really not a quick way since there were much harder questions waiting and if I solve it in the conventional ways then I just lose points
 
  • #17
May I suggest solving it as suggested (you don’t actually need a spreadsheet), then you can spend as much time as you like looking for a efficient method once you have the result.
 
  • #18
Memo said:
No, I can't use a spreadsheet while in exams
You won't have me in an exam.

Memo said:
. Is there really not a quick way since there were much harder questions waiting
I can imagine. The sooner you realise not all problems can be solved by a single calculation the better.
 
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  • #19
I can see an example of multiple counting here( though can't think of how to deal with it).
So we have 12 dogs, 3 of type A: A1, A2, A3; similarly 4 of type B , 5 of type C. We want to select 7 dogs from the 12, so that we have 3 of type A, 2 of type B.
Consider this:

1)Choose A1,A2,A3 ;B1,B2; A4,A5

2) Choose A1,A4,A5; B1,B2; A2,A3

Both represent the choice , as a set:
{A1,A2,A3 A4,A5, B1,B2}

That's just one such duplicate.
 
  • #20
Are the Chihuahuas, Poodles, and Foxes distinct? That would make a difference. Then you have 5 slots spoken for - you only have 2 slots to fill with the remaining animals. If you have to distinguish which Poodles that you are using, it is more complex.
 

FAQ: Partial Permutation, Combination question for buying dogs at the pet store

What is a partial permutation in the context of buying dogs at the pet store?

A partial permutation refers to the arrangement of a subset of items from a larger set. In the context of buying dogs at a pet store, it means selecting and arranging a certain number of dogs from the total available dogs in a specific order.

How is a combination different from a partial permutation when choosing dogs?

A combination refers to selecting a subset of items from a larger set without regard to the order of selection. When choosing dogs, a combination would mean selecting a certain number of dogs from the total available dogs, but the order in which they are selected does not matter.

How do you calculate the number of partial permutations for buying a specific number of dogs?

To calculate the number of partial permutations, you use the formula P(n, k) = n! / (n - k)!, where n is the total number of available dogs, and k is the number of dogs you want to buy. The factorial function (n!) represents the product of all positive integers up to n.

How do you calculate the number of combinations for buying a specific number of dogs?

To calculate the number of combinations, you use the formula C(n, k) = n! / (k!(n - k)!), where n is the total number of available dogs, and k is the number of dogs you want to buy. This formula accounts for the fact that the order of selection does not matter.

Can you provide an example of calculating both partial permutations and combinations for buying dogs?

Sure! Suppose there are 5 dogs at the pet store, and you want to buy 3 of them. For partial permutations, the calculation would be P(5, 3) = 5! / (5 - 3)! = 5! / 2! = (5 × 4 × 3 × 2 × 1) / (2 × 1) = 60. For combinations, the calculation would be C(5, 3) = 5! / (3!(5 - 3)!) = 5! / (3! × 2!) = (5 × 4 × 3 × 2 × 1) / ((3 × 2 × 1) × (2 × 1)) = 10.

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