Last answered:

19 May 2022

Posted on:

19 May 2022

0

Resolved: Knowing what to apply where

I went through the Combinatorics section. I find it difficult to interpret from the word problems the approach to be taken to solve it. For example, I am confused whether to use:
1. Variations with/without repetitions
OR
2. Combinations with/without repetitions

Is there a way to understand it better and choose?

1 answers ( 1 marked as helpful)
Instructor
Posted on:

19 May 2022

2

Hey Manan,

Thank you for your question!

When solving such a problem, you need to answer the following questions:
1. Does the arrangement of the objects matter?
Yes: Variations
No: Combinations

2. Can we choose any of the objects more than once?
Yes: Variations / Combinations with repetition
No: Variations / Combinations without repetition

Answering these questions will help you choose the correct function for your problem. Of course, practice makes perfect :)

Hope this helps!

Kind regards,
365 Hristina

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