A few examples of Combination and Permutation !

Here’s a few examples of combinations (order doesn’t matter) from permutations (order matters).

Combination: Picking a team of 3 people from a group of 10. C(10,3) = 10!/(7! · 3!) = 10 · 9 · 8 / (3 · 2 · 1) = 120.

Permutation: Picking a President, VP and Waterboy from a group of 10. P(10,3) = 10!/7! = 10 · 9 · 8 = 720.

Combination: Choosing 3 desserts from a menu of 10. C(10,3) = 120.

Permutation: Listing your 3 favorite desserts, in order, from a menu of 10. P(10,3) = 720.


** Guys please don’t memorize the formulas, understand why they work. Combinations sound simpler than permutations, and they are. You have fewer combinations than permutations.