# Combinations

• Sep 1st 2010, 11:02 AM
Stuck Man
Combinations
I can't do this question:
Find the number of different selections of 5 letters which can be made from the letters of the word syllabus.
• Sep 1st 2010, 11:12 AM
Danneedshelp
Well, there are 8 letters in the word syllabus. You are being asked to find the number of different selections of 5 letters which can be made from the letters of the word syllabus which is the same as the number of ways one can select 5 letters from the 8 letter set comprised of the 8 letters that form the word "syllabus". So, you can ignore the word "syllabus" and just treat the problem as any other set counting problem.

Since combinations is in your title, I am sure you know how to compute the number of ways to select 5 elements from an 8 element set.
• Sep 1st 2010, 11:28 AM
Stuck Man
8C5 is 56. It is possible to select S twice or L twice or two S's and two L's. I think I need to subtract something from 56. The answer in the book is 30.
• Sep 1st 2010, 11:43 AM
Plato
Quote:

Originally Posted by Stuck Man
I can't do this question:
Find the number of different selections of 5 letters which can be made from the letters of the word syllabus.

The correct answer is some what more complicated than the first reply would suggest.
The letters in $syllabus$ are only seven difference letters.
The double $ll$ complicates matters.
So count all five letter combinations that contain at most one $l$. Then add to it the combinations that contain two l’s.
• Sep 1st 2010, 11:57 AM
Stuck Man
I can't see why you think the order of the letters in syllabus is important.
• Sep 1st 2010, 12:39 PM
undefined
Quote:

Originally Posted by Plato
The correct answer is some what more complicated than the first reply would suggest.
The letters in $syllabus$ are only seven difference letters.
The double $ll$ complicates matters.
So count all five letter combinations that contain at most one $l$. Then add to it the combinations that contain two l’s.

There are also two of the letter s; only 6 distinct letters.

I will use uppercase L because lowercase looks like 1.

Case by case like this will give the answer:

no L and 1 s
no L and 2 s's
1 L and no s
1 L and 1 s
1 L and 2 s's
2 L's and no s
2 L's and 1 s
2 L's and 2 s's

Can be made faster realising that 1 L and no s gives the same count as 1 s and no L, etc.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Stuck Man
I can't see why you think the order of the letters in syllabus is important.

Nobody claimed that order was important.
• Sep 1st 2010, 12:43 PM
Quote:

Originally Posted by Stuck Man
I can't do this question:
Find the number of different selections of 5 letters which can be made from the letters of the word syllabus.

(a) the selection contains $ssll$

You need to choose 1 letter from the 4 distinct letters y,a,b,u. The number is $\binom{4}{1}=4$

(b) the selection contains $ssl$, only one $l$

This time choose 2 from the 4 distinct letters. $\binom{4}{2}=6$

(c) the selection contains $sll$. $\binom{4}{2}=6$

(d) the selection contains $sl$, only one $s$ and only one $l$.

Choose 3 from the 4 distinct letters. $\binom{4}{3}=4$

(e) the selection contains $s$, only one $s$ and no $l$.

You need to choose all 4 distinct letters. $\binom{4}{4}=1$

(f) the selection contains one $l$ and no $s$. $\binom{4}{4}=1$

(g) the selection contains $ss$ and no $l$. $\binom{4}{3}=4$

(h) the selection contains $ll$ and no $s$. $\binom{4}{3}=4$

The selection must contain an $s$ or an $l$.

Sum all of these.

EDIT: Hi "undefined", we were on the same wavelength!

Now it's broken down, faster solutions can be given and maybe some neat closed-form options..
• Sep 1st 2010, 02:17 PM
ebaines
A slightly simpler way:

Start by only considering the case that there is only 1 L and 1 S. Hence the letters to slelect from are A,B,L,S,U and Y. How many ways can you pick five of these at a time? Answer = C(6,5) = 6. This is the number of ways you can select letters with either 0 or 1 L and with either 0 or 1 S.

Now consider combinations that have 2 L's. How many ways can you select three from the remaining 5 letters A,B,S,U, and Y?: C(5,3)=10. This is the number of selections that have 2 L's and either 0 or 1 S.

Ditto for combinations that have 2 S's: C(5,3) = 10 is the number of selections that have 2 S's and either 0 or 1 L.

Finally add the number of ways you can have 2 L's and 2 S's: you have to select only one letter left from the 4 remaining: C(4,1)=4.

Add them up and you get 30.
• Sep 1st 2010, 02:31 PM
Plato
Here is the easiest way.
The coefficient of $x^5$ in the expansion of $\displaystyle \left( {\sum\limits_{k = 0}^1 {x^k } } \right)^4 \left( {\sum\limits_{k = 0}^2 {x^k } } \right)^2$ is $30$.