Combinatorics Flashcards
What does combinatorics deals with?
combinations of objects from a specific, finite set
What Restrictions can be formed to apply to combinations?
Repetition
Order
Or other criterion
What are the 3 integral parts of Combinatorics?
- Permutations
- Variations
- Combinations
we use these to determine the number of favorable outcomes OR
the number of all elements in a sample space
What do Permutations represent?
Permutations represent the number of different possible ways we can arrange a set of elements
What is the formula for Permutations?
n!
How are Permutations denoted?
P()
Going back to the Formula 1 example from the lecture, in how many ways can the 20 drivers finish a race?
20!
When we determine the available options for every position in a permutation, can we start with the middle element?
Yes, choosing the order is completely up to us.
What are factorials denoted as?
!
What does n! represent?
The product of the natural numbers from 1 to n
ie. n! = 1 x 2 x 3 x …. x n
3! = 1 x 2 x 3 = 6
What is one odd characteristic of factorials?
Negative numbers don’t have a factorial
What are some important properties of factorials?
n! = (n-1)! x n
(n + 1)1 = n! x (n +1)
What is 5! Equal to?
120
Which of the values below is NOT the equivalent to “6!” ?
A) 123456
B) 7!/7
C) 4!5*6
D) 8!/8
8!/8
Which of the following is equivalent to 5!/3! ?
A) 45/6
B) 123
C) 45
D) 1*2
C) 4*5
What is the formula for Variations without Repetition?
V = n! / (n - p)!
The number of variations without repetition when arranging ‘p’ elements out of a total of ‘n’ elements.
What do Variations express?
The total number of ways we can pick and arrange some elements of a given set
What is ‘n’ in probability theory?
n = the total number of elements we have available
What is ‘p’ ?
p = the number of positions we need to fill
When arranging ‘p’ elements out of a total of ‘n’
What is the Notation and Formula for calculating Variations with Repetition?
V = n to the power of p
V bar, n, p = n to the p
n = the total number of elements we have available
p = the number of positions we need to fill
The number of variations with repetition when picking p-many elements out of n elements, is equal to n to the power of p