Question

Determine whether each situation involves a permutation or a combination: the winner and first, second, and third runners-up in a contest with 10 finalists

Answer 1

permutation

Answer 2

With permutation, the order you pick the items will make a difference in the end. For example, if you pick a president, vp, and secretary, choosing Tom, wingspan, and Harry to fill those spots will be different from picking Harry, Tom, and wingspan because they will have different job titles.

With a combination, the order you pick the items will not make a difference in the end. For example, if you want a bowl of ice cream with three scoops, choosing chocolate, strawberry, and vanilla will result in the same bowl of ice cream as choosing vanilla, chocolate, and strawberry.