Counting Principles

Description: This quiz covers the fundamental principles of counting, including permutations, combinations, and the multiplication principle.
Number of Questions: 14
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Tags: counting principles permutations combinations multiplication principle
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In a club with 10 members, in how many ways can a president, vice president, and secretary be chosen?

  1. 720

  2. 120

  3. 240

  4. 360


Correct Option: A
Explanation:

This is a permutation problem. We have 10 choices for the president, 9 choices for the vice president (since one person is already chosen as president), and 8 choices for the secretary. Therefore, the total number of ways is 10 * 9 * 8 = 720.

A committee of 5 people is to be formed from a group of 12 people. In how many ways can this be done?

  1. 792

  2. 495

  3. 924

  4. 2,016


Correct Option: A
Explanation:

This is a combination problem. We have 12 choices for the first person, 11 choices for the second person, and so on. Therefore, the total number of ways is 12 * 11 * 10 * 9 * 8 = 792.

A box contains 6 red balls, 4 blue balls, and 2 green balls. In how many ways can 3 balls be selected from the box?

  1. 80

  2. 120

  3. 90

  4. 100


Correct Option: B
Explanation:

This is a combination problem. We have 12 total balls, and we need to choose 3 of them. Therefore, the total number of ways is 12 * 11 * 10 / 3! = 120.

A company has 5 job openings: 2 for engineers, 2 for accountants, and 1 for a marketing manager. In how many ways can the company fill these positions if there are 10 engineers, 8 accountants, and 6 marketing managers available?

  1. 2,880

  2. 1,200

  3. 3,840

  4. 2,400


Correct Option: A
Explanation:

This is a multiplication principle problem. We have 10 * 8 * 6 = 480 ways to fill the engineering positions, 8 * 6 = 48 ways to fill the accounting positions, and 6 ways to fill the marketing manager position. Therefore, the total number of ways to fill all the positions is 480 * 48 * 6 = 2,880.

A student has to answer 10 questions on a test. In how many ways can the student answer the questions if each question has 4 possible answers?

  1. 1024

  2. 1048576

  3. 4096

  4. 256


Correct Option: B
Explanation:

This is a multiplication principle problem. Each question has 4 possible answers, so the total number of ways to answer all the questions is 4^10 = 1048576.

A bag contains 10 red marbles, 15 blue marbles, and 20 green marbles. In how many ways can 5 marbles be selected from the bag if at least one marble of each color must be included?

  1. 1,260

  2. 1,008

  3. 1,120

  4. 960


Correct Option: C
Explanation:

We can first select 1 red marble in 10 ways, 1 blue marble in 15 ways, and 1 green marble in 20 ways. Then, we can select the remaining 2 marbles in 9 * 8 / 2! = 36 ways. Therefore, the total number of ways is 10 * 15 * 20 * 36 = 1,120.

A bookshelf has 10 shelves, and each shelf can hold 10 books. In how many ways can 100 books be arranged on the bookshelf if each book must be on a different shelf?

  1. 10^100

  2. 10!

  3. 100!

  4. 10^90


Correct Option: D
Explanation:

We can first choose which shelf each book will be on in 10^100 ways. Then, we can arrange the books on each shelf in 10! ways. Therefore, the total number of ways is 10^100 * 10! = 10^90.

A company has 10 employees, and 5 of them are women. In how many ways can a team of 3 employees be formed if at least 1 woman must be included?

  1. 120

  2. 100

  3. 150

  4. 200


Correct Option: C
Explanation:

We can first select 1 woman in 5 ways. Then, we can select the remaining 2 employees from the remaining 9 employees in 9 * 8 / 2! = 36 ways. Therefore, the total number of ways is 5 * 36 = 150.

A club has 15 members, and 6 of them are officers. In how many ways can a committee of 5 members be formed if at least 2 officers must be included?

  1. 2,100

  2. 1,800

  3. 2,520

  4. 1,500


Correct Option: A
Explanation:

We can first select 2 officers in 6 * 5 / 2! = 15 ways. Then, we can select the remaining 3 members from the remaining 9 members in 9 * 8 * 7 / 3! = 168 ways. Therefore, the total number of ways is 15 * 168 = 2,100.

A company has 10 job openings, and 5 of them are for engineers. In how many ways can the company fill the 10 positions if at least 3 of the positions are filled by engineers?

  1. 25,200

  2. 20,160

  3. 15,120

  4. 10,080


Correct Option: B
Explanation:

We can first select 3 engineers in 5 * 4 * 3 / 3! = 20 ways. Then, we can fill the remaining 7 positions in 7! ways. Therefore, the total number of ways is 20 * 7! = 20,160.

A restaurant offers 10 appetizers, 12 main courses, and 8 desserts. In how many ways can a customer order a complete meal consisting of an appetizer, a main course, and a dessert?

  1. 960

  2. 1,152

  3. 768

  4. 1,008


Correct Option: A
Explanation:

This is a multiplication principle problem. The customer has 10 choices for the appetizer, 12 choices for the main course, and 8 choices for the dessert. Therefore, the total number of ways is 10 * 12 * 8 = 960.

A company has 10 employees, and 5 of them are women. In how many ways can a team of 3 employees be formed if there must be at least 1 woman and at most 2 women?

  1. 100

  2. 120

  3. 150

  4. 200


Correct Option: B
Explanation:

We can first select 1 woman in 5 ways. Then, we can select the remaining 2 employees from the remaining 9 employees in 9 * 8 / 2! = 36 ways. Therefore, the total number of ways is 5 * 36 = 120.

A company has 10 job openings, and 5 of them are for engineers. In how many ways can the company fill the 10 positions if there must be at least 2 engineers and at most 4 engineers?

  1. 15,120

  2. 20,160

  3. 25,200

  4. 10,080


Correct Option: B
Explanation:

We can first select 2 engineers in 5 * 4 / 2! = 10 ways. Then, we can select the remaining 8 positions in 8! ways. Therefore, the total number of ways is 10 * 8! = 20,160.

A restaurant offers 10 appetizers, 12 main courses, and 8 desserts. In how many ways can a customer order a complete meal consisting of an appetizer, a main course, and a dessert if the customer does not want to order the same dish twice?

  1. 768

  2. 960

  3. 1,152

  4. 1,008


Correct Option: A
Explanation:

We can first select an appetizer in 10 ways. Then, we can select a main course in 12 ways, but we cannot select the same appetizer again. Therefore, we have 11 choices for the main course. Finally, we can select a dessert in 8 ways, but we cannot select the same main course again. Therefore, we have 7 choices for the dessert. Therefore, the total number of ways is 10 * 11 * 7 = 768.

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