A group of 5 students must select a president, a vice-president, a secretary, and a treasurer. In how many possible ways can this be accomplished?
We can use the permutation formula to solve this problem.
There are 5 choices for president, then 4 choices remain for vice-president, then 3 choices remain for secretary, and finally 2 choices remain for treasurer. So, the number of possible ways to select these officers is:
5 x 4 x 3 x 2 = 120
Therefore, there are 120 possible ways for the 5 students to select a president, a vice-president, a secretary, and a treasurer.
To determine the number of possible ways to select a president, vice-president, secretary, and treasurer from a group of 5 students, we can use the concept of permutations.
First, we have 5 options for selecting the president. After the president is selected, we have 4 remaining options for the vice-president. Once the president and vice-president are selected, we have 3 options for the secretary. Finally, once the president, vice-president, and secretary are selected, we have 2 options for the treasurer.
Using the multiplication principle, we multiply these options together:
5 options × 4 options × 3 options × 2 options = 120.
Therefore, there are 120 possible ways to select a president, vice-president, secretary, and treasurer from a group of 5 students.