lionely said:Homework Statement
Calculate the numbers of different selections of 5 letters which can be made from the letters of the word SYLLABUS
I thought it would be 8C5 but that's not the answer.
Any help?
lionely said:The Ls are the same aren't they?
Combinations are used in solving syllabus word problems when the problem involves selecting a specific number of items from a larger group of items, without regard to the order in which they are selected.
The formula for calculating the number of combinations is nCr = n! / r!(n-r)!, where n is the total number of items and r is the number of items being selected.
Sure, for example, if a syllabus lists 10 topics and a student must choose 3 topics to study for an exam, the number of possible combinations is 10C3 = 10! / 3!(10-3)! = 120. This means there are 120 different ways the student can choose 3 topics from the 10 listed.
One common mistake is forgetting to use the combination formula and instead using the permutation formula, which is used when the order of the selected items matters. It's important to carefully read the problem and determine whether combinations or permutations should be used.
Yes, combinations are used in many real-life scenarios such as lottery games, selecting a team for a sports tournament, and creating a password with a specific number of characters. Any situation that involves selecting a specific number of items from a larger group without considering the order can be solved using combinations.