Principles of Counting
Lesson 1: Principles of Counting
Learning Objective/s:
At the end of this lesson, the students must be able to:
a. state and illustrate the principles of counting;
b. diagram the computations involving the principle of counting; and
c. apply the principle of counting in various area of problem solving.
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LET US FONDER!
How many numbers?
Nathaniel wants to crack a code of a lock with two digit number
as its code. How many two digit number code can he formed from the
four integers 1, 2, 3 and 4 and repetition of digits is not permitted?
INTRODUCTION
Frequently, we are asked to find the number of ways a set of objects may be arranged
under certain conditions. How many ways can eight people can be seated at a table? How
many different license plates are possible if each consists of three numbers and two letters,
and so on? Answers to these questions and many more important and complicated ones are
possible by a process sometimes called sophisticated counting.
The Fundamental Counting
Let us begin in considering a simple situation. Let us find how many numbers of two
different digits can be formed from the four integers 1, 2, 3 and 4 if no digit is repeated. Any
one of the four may be chosen for the tens digit of the number. With each particular choice
of this type, there will remain three integers from which to choose the units digit. Thus, for
each of the four choices, there are three more choices, making a total of 4 * 3 or 12 numbers
in all.
We have then, by listing all possible numbers,
12, 13, 14 (1 for the tens digit)
21, 23, 24 (2 for the tens digit)
31, 32, 34 (3 for the tens digit)
41, 42, 43 (4 for the tens digit)
This example can be illustrated by a simple table as shown in the next figure.
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Principles of Counting
Table 1
Tens Digit Ones Digit Resulting Number
2 12
1 3 13
4 14
1 21
2 3 23
4 24
1 31
3 2 32
4 34
1 41
4 2 42
3 43
A slightly more complicated problem would be to find how many numbers of three
different digits could be formed with the same integers 1, 2, 3 and 4. Each of the 12
numbers listed in the problem number 1 can be regarded as representing the hundreds and
tens digits. Since two of the four integers have already been selected in each case, the
possibility for the new units’ digit must be one of the two remaining integers. We therefore
have 4 * 3 * 2 or 24 numbers, each containing three digits, which can be formed from the
given integers.
Illustrative Examples:
1. A burger machine offers a serving of soup, sandwich and beverage. There are 2 kinds
soups (corn and chicken), 4 sandwiches (chicken, ham, mushroom and tuna), and 5
beverages (coffee, tea, milk, soda and orange) to choose from. How many possible
number of combinations are there?
Solution:
By multiplying all the quantity of the soups, sandwich and beverage.
2*4*5 = 40 ways
Therefore, there are 40 possible combinations of the given serving.
2. How many different committees consisting of one Democrat and one Republican
can be formed from seven Democrats and four Republicans?
Solution:
The Democrat can be chosen in any one of the seven ways, and independently, the
Republican can be chosen in any one of four ways. Thus, by multiplying the number of
Democrats to number of Republicans we have, 7*4 = 28.
Therefore, there are 28 different possible committees that can be made from 7 Democrats and 4
Republicans.
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Principles of Counting
Using the aforementioned examples, we can now formally state the following that will
generalize the principle of counting.
Multiplication Principle of Counting
If one thing can be done independently in 𝑛1 different ways, and if a second
thing can be done independently in 𝑛2 different ways, and a third thing can
be done independently in 𝑛3 different ways, and so on (for any finite
number of things), then the total number of ways in which all the things may
be done in the stated order is 𝑛1 𝑛2 𝑛3… 𝑛𝑘 .
Addition Principle of Counting
If an object has 𝑛1 choices and another object has 𝑛2 choices, then there are
𝑛1 + 𝑛2 ways to choose one of the objects.
Illustrative Examples:
1. If two cubical dice are thrown, in how many ways can they fall?
Solution
Since each cube has six faces, each may fall independently any one of six different
ways. Consequently, there are 6*6 = 36 possible ways for them to fall.
2. In a certain election, there are three candidates for President, there are four for Vice
President, five for Secretary, but only two for treasurer. In how many different ways
may the election turn out?
Solution:
With each of the three possibilities for president, there are four for vice president,
five for Secretary, but only two for treasurer. Thus the total number of different possible
election results is 4(3)(5)(2) = 120 ways.
3. If in climbing a certain mountain, there are five trails that could be followed in going
to the top and four trails in going down, in how many ways can the trip be done?
Solution:
Since 𝑛1 = 5 and 𝑛2 = 4, there are 5(4) = 20 ways in which such trip can be done.
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Principles of Counting
4. How many 3 – digit numbers can be formed from the four digits 0, 1, 2, and 3 if no
two digits are to be the same?
Solution:
There are three choices for the hundreds digit (excluding zero), three choices for the
tens digit (including zero) and two choices for the units digit. By Principle of Counting, the
total number of three-digit numbers is given by
𝐻𝑇𝑈 = 𝑛1 𝑛2 𝑛3 = (3)(3)(2) = 𝟏𝟖 𝟑 − 𝒅𝒊𝒈𝒊𝒕 𝒏𝒖𝒎𝒃𝒆𝒓𝒔
Therefore, there are 18 3-digit numbers that can be formed with the digits 0, 1, 2, and 3 and
no repetition is allowed.
5. A test is composed of 10 multiple – choice questions, with each having four possible
answers. In how many ways can a student answer all the questions?
Solution:
Since 𝑛1 = 𝑛2 = 𝑛3… = 𝑛10 = 4, there are altogether 4*4*4*4*4*4*4*4*4*4 =
10
4 = 1,048,576 different ways in which a student can answer all the questions.
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Principles of Counting
Name: Date:
Grade & Section: Score:
EXERCISE 1
Principles of Counting
Direction: Solve the following word problems. Show your complete solution. Box your final
answers.
1. Lemuel went to pizza parlor. The pizza parlor offers 6 kinds of meat toppings (beef,
pepperoni, chorizo, salami, ham and bacon) and 4 kinds of vegetable toppings
(onion, pepper, mushroom and garlic). A pizza comes in 3 different sizes (single,
double, family) and in 3 different crusts (thin, thick, pan). How many varieties of
pizza can one select?
2. Kochi Ramses is taking a matching test in which he is supposed to match 4 answers
with 4 questions. In how many different ways can he answer the 4 questions?
3. Three cards are drawn in succession and without replacement from a deck of 52
cards. Find in how many ways we can obtain the king of hearts, ace of diamonds,
and the ace of spades in the order.
4. If a coin is tossed twice, how many times would the head appear?
5. A biochemist named Annie Chen mixed 6 chemicals together in a solution and
created a new synthetic drug. Unfortunately, she does not recall the order in which
the chemicals were introduced into the solution. It is decided to repeat the
experiment. How many possibilities are there?
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Principles of Counting
6. Dr. Chen has five examinations rooms. There are five patients in the waiting room.
In how many ways can the patients be assigned to the examination rooms?
7. How many different arrangements of letters can we have from the letters of the
word “MATHEMATICS”?
8. In how many ways can 10 finalist in the Metrobank Search for Outstanding Teachers
line up in a row for souvenir picture?
9. A. In how many ways can 3 boys and 2 girls sit in a row? B. In how many ways can
they sit in a row if the boys and the girls are each to sit together?
10. How many two-digit numbers can be formed from the digits 2,3,4,5 and 6 if no digit
is repeated?
----------------------------End of Exercise 1----------------------------
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