Chapter 14: Problem 35
Five-Letter Words Five-letter "words" are formed using the letters \(A, B, C, D, E, F, G .\) How many such words are possible for each of the following conditions? (a) No condition is imposed. (b) No letter can be repeated in a word. (c) Each word must begin with the letter \(A\) . (d) The letter \(C\) must be in the middle. (e) The middle letter must be a vowel.
Short Answer
Step by step solution
Total Possible Words Without Restrictions
Words with No Repeated Letters
Words Beginning with 'A'
Words with 'C' in the Middle
Words with a Vowel in the Middle
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Key Concepts
These are the key concepts you need to understand to accurately answer the question.
Five-Letter Words
- Our alphabet for these five-letter words includes the letters: \( A, B, C, D, E, F, G \).
- A word is formed by placing one letter in each of the five positions.
- The conditions change how we select which letters can go into each position.
Permutations
- The concept can be visualized as filling positions one after another, considering the availability and constraints for each spot.
- In the unrestricted scenario, any of the 7 letters can fill each position, leading us to the formula: \(7^5\), which equals 16,807 unique permutations.
- When constraints such as not repeating letters are added, fewer permutations are possible. In this case, the number is reduced to \(7 \times 6 \times 5 \times 4 \times 3\) or 2,520 permutations because each choice reduces the pool of available letters.
Vowels
- The exercise involves placing either \( A \) or \( E \) in the middle position of the word, giving us 2 choices for this central spot.
- Once a vowel is fixed in the middle, the remaining positions can be filled with any of the 7 given letters, each position being independent of the others.
- This results in the calculation: \(2 \times 7^4\), equaling 4,802 possible words with a vowel in the middle.
Combinations
- Suppose we are choosing which vowels could go into a specific position, like the middle of our word. We're interested in how these choices are combined with other elements rather than their order.
- Though the concept of combinations directly impacts permutations, it subtly underpins decisions like fixing a vowel in the middle position.
- Combinations often serve as the groundwork for defining how limitations affect the problem’s outcomes and enhance the importance of constraints.