How can you tell whether a counting problem is a permutation or a combination problem? Give examples to support answer and complete sentences
Permutation problems involve ordering items in a specific sequence, while combination problems do not consider the order of items.
For example, if you are selecting a president, vice president, and treasurer from a group of 10 students, this is a permutation problem because the order in which the positions are filled matters. The total number of ways to do this would be calculated using a permutation formula.
On the other hand, if you are selecting a committee of 3 students from a group of 10, this is a combination problem because the order in which the students are selected does not matter. The total number of ways to do this would be calculated using a combination formula.
In general, if the problem involves arranging items in a specific order, it is likely a permutation problem. If the problem involves selecting items without considering the order, it is likely a combination problem.