Computer Science I / Counting and Combinatorics
Practice question · True or false

Choosing a committee of 3 from 10 people gives a larger number than choosing a president, secretary and treasurer from the same 10.

Hints
  1. Does it matter which of the three roles you get?
  2. Permutations count orderings; combinations do not.
Show the answer

False

Why

False. The committee is (103)=120\binom{10}{3} = 120; the three distinct roles give P(10,3)=720P(10,3) = 720, six times more, because each committee can be assigned roles in 3! ways. The question to ask is always whether swapping two chosen items produces a different outcome.

Read the lesson: Counting and Combinatorics →

Practise Counting and Combinatorics

The app has 6 more questions on this lesson, and keeps your place in the course. Computer Science I is free to start.

More questions on Counting and Combinatorics