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#1 2012-09-08 14:41:57
- genericname
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Statistics/Probability(beginner): permutations and combinations
I'm having a hard time of understanding the meaning of those two and am also confused about which formula to use when given a problem related to those methods. What does it mean when it say things like "Order does not matter," or "No replacement"?
#2 2012-09-08 17:46:56
- bob bundy
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Re: Statistics/Probability(beginner): permutations and combinations
hi genericname
Have a look at
http://www.mathsisfun.com/combinatorics … tions.html
Example:
How many three letter permutations can you make from the word MATH ?
MAT, MTA, AMT, ATM, TMA, TAM, MAH, .......... 24 answers.
How many three letter combinations can you make from the word MATH ?
MAT, MAH, MTH, ATH. 4 answers as order now doesn't matter.
Example of With replacement.
What is the probablity of drawing two aces from a pack of cards if the first card is replaced before the second is drawn.
P = 4/52 x 4/52
Example of Without replacement.
What is the probablity of drawing two aces from a pack of cards if the first card is NOT replaced before the second is drawn.
P = 4/52 x 3/51
Bob
You cannot teach a man anything; you can only help him find it within himself..........Galileo Galilei
#3 2012-09-09 14:19:48
- genericname
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Re: Statistics/Probability(beginner): permutations and combinations
Thank you, Bob! That cleared things up.
#4 2012-09-09 17:32:40
- bob bundy
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Re: Statistics/Probability(beginner): permutations and combinations
hi genericname
You are welcome.
Hope your studies go well. But post again if you need more help. 
Bob
You cannot teach a man anything; you can only help him find it within himself..........Galileo Galilei
#5 2012-09-10 12:44:17
- genericname
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Re: Statistics/Probability(beginner): permutations and combinations
This problem is really confusing me:
Consider five tosses of a coin. Assume that the results are arranged in order of toss.
a) What is the total number of possible outcomes to the five tosses?
b) In how many of those outcomes do all five of the coins show head?
c) In how many of those outcomes do exactly 3 of the coins show head?
For A I got 2^5 for an answer since there are 5 tosses and 2 choices each time(right?). I confused about what to do for B and C.
#6 2012-09-10 13:37:22
- bobbym
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Re: Statistics/Probability(beginner): permutations and combinations
Hi;
a) 2^5 is correct.
b)1 x 1 x 1 x 1 x 1 = 1
c) Just another Mississippi problem in disguise.
In mathematics, you don't understand things. You just get used to them.
90% of mathematicians do not understand 90% of currently published mathematics.
I am willing to wager that over 75% of the new words that appeared were nothing more than spelling errors that caught on.
#7 2012-09-10 15:05:14
- bob bundy
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Re: Statistics/Probability(beginner): permutations and combinations
hi genericname
It's not so many that you couldn't list them:
HHHTT
HHTHT
HHTTH
HTHHT
HTHTH
HTTHH
THHHT
THHTH
THTHH
TTHHH
So there's bobbym's 10 ways/
In general, you wouldn't want to do this though as the list could take ages to write out and you could easily miss some.
So how can you get this without ?
If the letters were all different, say H1 H2 H3 T1 T2, then I could re-arrange them in 5! ways.
But three of the letters are H's and so will look the same however I write them. eg H1 T1 T2 H2 H3 would look the same as H2 T1 T2 H1 H3.
So that 5! counts the same answer over and over. How many times have I repeated the same answer because of the Hs ?
I can re-arrange H1 H2 H3 in 3! ways (H1 H2 H3; H1 H3 H2; H2 H1 H3; H2 H3 H1; H3 H1 H2; and H3 H2 H1 )
So divide by 3! to allow for this.
Simily I've over counted the Ts ( T1 T2 would look the same as T2 T1) So I need to divide by 2! to allow for this.
Thus 5! / (3!x2!)
Hope that helps,
Bob
You cannot teach a man anything; you can only help him find it within himself..........Galileo Galilei
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