Permutations & Combinations

Permutations

A permutation is an arrangement of objects in a certain order. The word arrangement is used, if the order of things is considered. An example of a permutation is selecting three students to be President, Vice President, and Secretary of the student council. The order in which they are selected will change the job they are given.

Permutations require the use of factorials, which are represented by the symbol "!". See the following example on how to apply the factorial symbol.

Factorial Example Find 6!

6! = 6?5?4?3?2?1 = 720

To do an activity that will help you develop the formula for permutations, select the following link:

Permutations Formula Worksheet

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