In how many different ways can the letters of the word wombat be arranged?
Permutations and Combinations
If there are 5 dishes, they can be relished in any order at a time. In permutation, it should be in a particular order. In combination, the order does not matter. Take 3 letters a, b, and c. The possible ways of pairing any two letters are ab, bc, ac, ba, cb and ca. It is in a particular order. So, this can be called the permutation of a, b, and c. But if the order does not matter then ab is the same as ba. Similarly, bc is the same as cb and ac is the same as ca. Here the list has ab, bc, and ac alone. This can be called the combination of a, b, and c.
Counting Theory
The fundamental counting principle is a rule that is used to count the total number of possible outcomes in a given situation.
(a) In how many different ways can the letters of the word wombat be arranged?
(b) In how many different ways can the letters of the word wombat be arranged if the letters wo must remain together (in this order)?
(c) How many different 3-letter words can be formed from the letters of the word wombat? And what if w must be the first letter of any such 3-letter word?
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