Thread: Can a partition be a permutation OR combination?

1. Can a partition be a permutation OR combination?

I'm so confused--I know what each of these is, but when using a partition (for groups of non-distinct objects), can that be applied to a permutation OR combination, or JUST combination?

2. Originally Posted by janedoe
when using a partition (for groups of non-distinct objects), can that be applied to a permutation OR combination, or JUST combination?
Please reply giving an exact example of a problem that you are referring to. If we guess wrongly as to what your post means, it is a simple waste of time.

3. Well that's just it--I'm trying to find a general rule/definition.

But I think I may have solved it because I found a case of a permutation using a partition (I THINK lol):

ex. How many permutations are there of the letters of the word "greet"?
answer: 5!/2! --> where 2 is the number of non distinct items (e in this case)

4. Originally Posted by janedoe
Well that's just it--I'm trying to find a general rule/definition. But I think I may have solved it because I found a case of a permutation using a partition (I THINK lol):

ex. How many permutations are there of the letters of the word "greet"?
answer: 5!/2! --> where 2 is the number of non distinct items (e in this case)
Thank you for the example. That is not at all what I thought you meant.

We can rearrange that word in $\dfrac{11!}{(4!)^2(2!)}$ ways.