Combinatorics

Factorials
n! is read as n factorial n! = n(n 1)(n 2) 3 2 1 0! = 1

Permutations
Definition: A permutation is any arrangement of the elements of a set in definite order nPr = P(n,r) = the number of permutations of n things taken r at a time nPr = n! (n r)! n = number of items r = number of spots A permutation of n things where there are a of one kind and b of another kind: permutations = n! a!b! Circular arrangement (can be viewed from only one side): permutations = (n 1)! Circular arrangement (can be viewed from either side): permutations = (n 1)! 2 The box-counting procedure: o Sketch the number of positions available, fill the number of objects available for each position, and multiply those numbers together Examples of when to use permutations: o Forming a committee in which there are different positions (president, vicepresident, etc.)

Combinations
Definition: A combination is any arrangement of the elements of a set in which order is NOT important nCr = C(n,r) = n = the number of combinations of n things taken r at a time r nCr = nPr = the product of the largest r factors of n! r! r! Examples of when to use combinations: o The selection of committees (with no distinctive positions) o Forming teams o Toppings on a pizza

Binomial Theorem
Observations in expanding the binomial (a + b) : o There are n + 1 terms in each expansion o The sum of the exponents in each term equals n o The exponent of b is 1 less than the number of the term o The coefficient of each term equals n either exponent
n

Probability
Definition: The probability of an event happening is a number defined to be the number of ways an event can happen successfully divided by the total number of ways the event can happen Sample Space o the set of all outcomes of an experiment o often used in dice experiments The probability, p, of any event is a number such that 0 p 1 o If p = 0, the event CANNOT happen o If p = 1, the event MUST happen The odds in favor of an event happening are defined to be the probability of the event happening successfully divided by the probability of the event not happening successfully Independent Events o events that have no effect on each other o Two events are independent if P(A B) = P(A) P(B) o A B is the intersection of sets A and B If two events are not independent, they are said to be dependent The probability of event A happening OR event B happening: o P(A U B) = P(A) + P(B) P(A B) o A U B is the union of sets A and B o If P(A B) = 0, the events are said to be mutually exclusive (cannot occur at the same time) You can find the probability that something WILL NOT happen by subtracting the probability that it WILL happen from 1 The probability of multiple events occurring together is the product of the probabilities of the events occurring individually