Chapter 14: Problem 41
In how many ways can a committee of 4 students be formed from a pool of 7 students?
Short Answer
Expert verified
35
Step by step solution
01
Understand the Problem
Determine the number of possible ways to select a committee of 4 students from a pool of 7 students. This is a combination problem because the order of selection does not matter.
02
Identify the Formula for Combinations
Use the combination formula: \[ \binom{n}{r} = \frac{n!}{r!(n-r)!} \] where \( n \) is the total number of students, and \( r \) is the number of students to be chosen for the committee.
03
Substitute the Given Values into the Formula
For this problem, \( n = 7 \) and \( r = 4 \). Substitute these values into the combination formula: \[ \binom{7}{4} = \frac{7!}{4!(7-4)!} = \frac{7!}{4! \times 3!} \]
04
Calculate the Factorials
Calculate the factorials: \[ 7! = 7 \times 6 \times 5 \times 4 \times 3 \times 2 \times 1 = 5040 \] \[ 4! = 4 \times 3 \times 2 \times 1 = 24 \] \[ 3! = 3 \times 2 \times 1 = 6 \]
05
Compute the Combination
Substitute the factorials back into the combination formula: \[ \binom{7}{4} = \frac{5040}{24 \times 6} = \frac{5040}{144} = 35 \]
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Key Concepts
These are the key concepts you need to understand to accurately answer the question.
factorials
Factorials are a fundamental concept in mathematics, especially in combinatorics. A factorial is the product of all positive integers up to a given number. It's denoted by an exclamation mark, for example, 7 factorial is written as 7!. It's calculated as follows:
7! = 7 × 6 × 5 × 4 × 3 × 2 × 1 = 5040.
Let's break this down:
7! = 7 × 6 × 5 × 4 × 3 × 2 × 1 = 5040.
Let's break this down:
- The factorial of 0 is defined as 1 (0! = 1).
- The factorial of 1 is 1 (1! = 1).
- For any number n greater than 1, n! is the product of all integers from 1 to n.
combination formula
When we talk about combinations, we refer to selecting items from a larger pool, where the order does not matter. The combination formula is:
\( \binom{n}{r} = \frac{n!}{r!(n-r)!} \).
Here:
\( \binom{7}{4} = \frac{7!}{4!(7-4)!} = \frac{7!}{4! \times 3!} \). This value tells us the number of ways to pick 4 students from a group of 7.
\( \binom{n}{r} = \frac{n!}{r!(n-r)!} \).
Here:
- n is the total number of items.
- r is the number of items to choose.
- n! is the factorial of n.
- r! is the factorial of r.
- (n-r)! is the factorial of the difference between n and r.
\( \binom{7}{4} = \frac{7!}{4!(7-4)!} = \frac{7!}{4! \times 3!} \). This value tells us the number of ways to pick 4 students from a group of 7.
problem-solving steps
Understanding how to approach combination problems step by step is very useful. Let's use the example of forming a committee of 4 from 7 students to illustrate:
7! = 5040, 4! = 24, and 3! = 6.
This means there are 35 different ways to form the committee. Following these steps ensures you understand each part of the problem and leads you to the correct solution.
- Step 1: Identify that the problem is a combination, not a permutation since the order does not matter.
- Step 2: Write down the combination formula:
- Step 3: Substitute the values (n = 7, r = 4):
- Step 4: Calculate the factorials:
7! = 5040, 4! = 24, and 3! = 6.
- Step 5: Substitute back into the formula:
This means there are 35 different ways to form the committee. Following these steps ensures you understand each part of the problem and leads you to the correct solution.