Question

State whether each situation involves a Permutation or a Combination.
a. Choosing a class president, vice president, and secretary.
b. Four tennis players from a group of nine.
c. Eight toppings for ice cream
Please explain how you know.

Answer 1

a) Order matters since president is different from vice president, so a permutation is used.

b) Order doesn't matter since no one player is ranked higher than another. If you state that they play in a certain order, then order would matter. So a combination is used.

c) Order doesn't matter as the toppings will all mix in anyway. So a combination is used.

Answer 2

So basically, a Permutation is used when order is needed, and Combination is when order doesn't matter?

Answer 3

Exactly, you nailed it.

Answer 4

Thanks :D

Answer 5

You're welcome