Chapter 11: Problem 5
In Exercises 5-20, use the formula for \({ }_{n} C_{r}\) to evaluate each expression. \({ }_{6} C_{5}\)
Short Answer
Expert verified
\({ }_{6} C_{5} = 6\)
Step by step solution
01
Identify the values of n and r
Here, n is the total number of items, which is 6, and r is the number of items to choose, which is 5.
02
Substitute the values into the formula
The combination formula is \({ }_{n} C_{r} = \frac{n!}{r!(n-r)!}\). Substituting the values gives \({ }_{6} C_{5} = \frac{6!}{5!(6-5)!}\).
03
Compute the factorial of the numbers
Compute 6!, 5! and (6-5)! respectively. 6! = 6*5*4*3*2*1 = 720, 5! = 5*4*3*2*1 = 120, and (6-5)! which simplifies to 1! = 1
04
Substitute the factorials into the formula
Substituting the factorials into the formula gives \({ }_{6} C_{5} = \frac{720}{120 * 1}\)
05
Simplify the equation
Dividing 720 by 120 by 1 gives 6. Therefore, \({ }_{6} C_{5} = 6\)
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Key Concepts
These are the key concepts you need to understand to accurately answer the question.
Combination Formula
The combination formula is a powerful tool in combinatorics and is used to determine the number of ways to choose a subset of items from a larger set, without considering the order of selection. This is useful when you want to know how many ways you can select a specific number of items from a larger group. The general formula for combinations is denoted as \(_{n}C_{r} = \frac{n!}{r!(n-r)!}\), where:
- \(n\) is the total number of items in the set.
- \(r\) is the number of items to choose.
- \(n!\), \(r!\), and \((n-r)!\) are the factorials of \(n\), \(r\), and \(n-r\) respectively.
Factorial
Factorials are foundational in understanding combinations and permutations. The factorial of a number \(n\), denoted as \(n!\), represents the product of all positive integers from 1 to \(n\).For instance,
- \(6! = 6 \times 5 \times 4 \times 3 \times 2 \times 1 = 720\).
- \(5! = 5 \times 4 \times 3 \times 2 \times 1 = 120\).
- \(1! = 1\)
Combinations and Permutations
Combinations and permutations are two separate concepts often compared in combinatorics. While they both relate to ways of organizing items, they differ significantly in whether order matters.
- Combinations disregard order. For example, the group \(\{a, b, c\}\) is identical to \(\{c, b, a\}\) when considering combinations. For choosing \(r\) items from \(n\) items, use the combination formula \[n_{C}r\].
- Permutations take order into account. Here, \(\{a, b\}\) is different from \(\{b, a\}\). Permutations involve more arrangements than combinations and are calculated using \[n_{P}r = \frac{n!}{(n-r)!}\].
Mathematical Notation
Mathematical notation streamlines complex calculations and provides a universal language among mathematicians. The notation \(nCr\) and \(nPr\) are specifically used for combinations and permutations respectively, reflecting the number of ways to choose \(r\) items from \(n\) items.
- The exclamation mark – \(!\) signifies a factorial, which is a crucial part of these calculations.
- Parentheses in formulas help in defining the order of operations clearly.