Quote:
Evaluate the expression 10P3
Let's recap. We know that the number of r-element subsets of an n-element set is always
n choose r = (n!) / (r! * (n-r)!)
Well, we can also write nCr instead of "n choose r". It's just a matter of notation.
Here's a new definition:
nPr = (n!) / ( (n - r)! )
It's not so easy to describe what nPr measures without using technical words. Here's an attempt:
If you have an n-element set named S, then nPr tells you the number of orderings of r elements of S, where an element cannot appear twice in an ordering.
But we don't need to know what nPr "means" in order to do this question. We just need to use the definition. By the definition:
10P3 = (10!) / (7!) = 720.