All GRE Subject Test: Math Resources
Example Questions
Example Question #1 : Permutation / Combination
Daisy wants to arrange four vases in a row outside of her garden. She has eight vases to choose from. How many vase arrangements can she make?
For this problem, since the order of the vases matters (red blue yellow is different than blue red yellow), we're dealing with permutations.
With selections made from
potential options, the total number of possible permutations(order matters) is:
Example Question #1 : Permutations
Lisa is dressing warm for the winter. She'll be layering three shirts over each other, and two pairs of socks. If she has fifteen shirts to choose from, along with ten different kinds of socks, how many ways can she layer up?
Since the order in which Lisa layers up matters, we're dealing with permutations.
With selections made from
potential options, the total number of possible permutations is:
For her shirts:
For her socks:
Her total ensemble options is the product of these two results
Example Question #31 : Permutation / Combination
Quantity A: The number of possible permutations when seven choices are made from ten options.
Quantity B: The number of possible permutations when five choices are made from eleven options.
Quantity B is greater.
The relationship cannot be determined.
Quantity A is greater.
The two quantities are equal.
Quantity A is greater.
With selections made from
potential options, the total number of possible permutations(order matters) is:
Quantity A:
Quantity B:
Quantity A is greater.
Example Question #582 : Gre Subject Test: Math
Jill is picking out outfits for a three-day weekend, one for Friday, one for Saturday, and one for Sunday.
Fortunately all of her clothes match together really well, so she can be creative with her options, though she's decided each outfit is going to be a combination of blouse, skirt, and shoes.
She'll be picking from ten blouses, twelve skirts, and eight pairs of shoes. How many ways could her weekend ensemble be lined up?
For this problem, order matters! Wearing a particular blouse on Friday is not the same as wearing it on Sunday. So that means that this problem will be dealing with permutations.
With selections made from
potential options, the total number of possible permutations(order matters) is:
What we'll do is calculate the number of permutations for her blouses, skirts, and shoes seperately (determining how the Friday/Saturday/Sunday blouses/skirts/shoes could be decided), and then multiply these values.
Blouses:
Skirts:
Shoes:
Thus the number of potential outfit assignments is
Example Question #91 : Other Topics
Abby, Bryan, Cindy, Doug, and Ernie are sitting on a bench. How many ways can I arrange their seating order?
Step 1: We need to identify how many seats there are on the bench. We have 5 names, so 5 seats.
Step 2: When 1 person sits in seat 1, he/she cannot sit in the next set, and so on.
Step 3: Let's work out the math...
Seat 1- 5 people can sit
Seat 2- 4 people can sit
Seat 3- 3 people can sit
Seat 4/5-2/1 people/person can sit
Total possibilities=. We can also say that
Example Question #41 : Combinational Analysis
There are 12 boys in a football competition, the top 3 competitors are awarded with an trophy. How may possible groups of 3 are there for this competition?
This is a permutation. A permutation is an arrangement of objects in a specific order.
The formula for permutations is:
This is written as
There are possible groups of 3.
Example Question #1 : Permutations
An ice cream shop has 23 flavors. Melissa wants to buy a 3-scoop cone with 3 different flavors, How many cones can she buy if order is important?
This is a permutation. A permutation is an arrangement of objects in a specific order.
The formula for permutations is:
This is written as
represents the number of permutations of 23 things taken 3 at a time.
Example Question #92 : Other Topics
Find the value of .
is asking to find the permutation of seven items when you want to choose five. When dealing with permutations, order matters.
A permutation is an arrangement of objects in a specific order.
The formula for permutations is:
This is written as
Example Question #1 : Permutations
Evaluate .
is asking to find the permutation of four items when you want to choose all four. When dealing with permutations, order matters.
A permutation is an arrangement of objects in a specific order.
The formula for permutations in this case will be,
or
factorial.
Example Question #91 : Probability & Statistics
There are people at a family dinner. After the dinner is over, people shake hands with each other. How many handshakes were there between these
people. Note: Once two people shake hands, they cannot shake hands again..
Step 1: A handshake MUST ALWAYS be between TWO people.
Step 2: Break down each person and who they can shake hands with:
Person can shake hands with:
.
Person can shake hands with:
Person can shake hands with:
Person can shake hands with:
Person can shake hands with:
Person can shake hands with:
Person can shake hands with:
Person can shake hands with:
Person can shake hands with:
Person can shake hands with:
Person already shook everybody's hand..
Step 3: Count how many handshakes each person can make:
Person shakes hands
times.
Person shakes hands
times.
Person shakes hands
times.
Person shakes hands
times.
Person shakes hands
times.
Person shakes hands
times.
Person shakes hands
times.
Person shakes hands
times.
Person shakes hands
times.
Person shakes hands
time.
Person already shook everybody's hand.
Step 4: Add up the number of times each person shook hands:
There were handshakes made between these
people.
All GRE Subject Test: Math Resources
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