Easy Counting

skittles · Subject: Easy Counting Wed Aug 13, 2008 5:50 pm

Find the number of ways the letters from the word SUPERCALIFRAGILISTICEXPEALIDOCIOUS can be arranged, using all of the letters.

Urc · Subject: Re: Easy Counting Wed Aug 13, 2008 5:59 pm

skittles wrote:

Find the number of ways the letters from the word SUPER CALI FRAGI LISTI CEXPE ALIDO CIOUS can be arranged, using all of the letters.

That is a very, very mean problem

I guess it'd be

34!
-----
2!*2!*2!*3!*2!*3!*3!*6!*2!*

skittles · Subject: Re: Easy Counting Wed Aug 13, 2008 6:02 pm

Nice try, but no.

Urc · Subject: Re: Easy Counting Wed Aug 13, 2008 6:31 pm

What is it then? Question

AIME15 · Subject: Re: Easy Counting Wed Aug 13, 2008 7:40 pm

skittles wrote:

Find the number of ways the letters from the word SUPERCALIFRAGILISTICEXPEALIDOCIOUS can be arranged, using all of the letters.

I'm way way too lazy to count all the letters and all the duplicates but:

The general formula is: for n DIFFERENT letters, its n!

If k of them are the same, it's n!/k!

if r of them are the same, and k of another letter are the same, it's n!/r!k!

And so on.

skittles · Subject: Re: Easy Counting Thu Aug 14, 2008 6:22 am

Yes, AIME15 is correct.
For this particular question, the answer is 34!/2!2!2!2!2!3!3!3!6! (I think, if I did my counting right)

xoangieexo · Subject: Re: Easy Counting Thu Aug 14, 2008 6:38 am

hmm i got that too
but i counted fast so... hmm...

Urc · Subject: Re: Easy Counting Thu Aug 14, 2008 7:05 am

Urc wrote:

skittles wrote:

Find the number of ways the letters from the word SUPER CALI FRAGI LISTI CEXPE ALIDO CIOUS can be arranged, using all of the letters.

That is a very, very mean problem

I guess it'd be

34!
-----
2!*2!*2!*3!*2!*3!*3!*6!*2!*

I got 6! instead of 5!..idk

skittles · Subject: Re: Easy Counting Thu Aug 14, 2008 8:11 am

Urc wrote:

skittles wrote:

Find the number of ways the letters from the word SUPER CALI FRAGI LISTI CEXPE ALIDO CIOUS can be arranged, using all of the letters.

That is a very, very mean problem

I guess it'd be

34!
-----
2!*2!*2!*3!*2!*3!*3!*6!*2!*

I got 6! instead of 5!..idk

Oops, sorry, it is 6.

AIME15 · Subject: Re: Easy Counting Thu Aug 14, 2008 11:17 am

On a homework or competition, this would DEFINITELY not come up. Maybe, like find the number of permutations in the word HAPPINESS and TELEPHONE, but not something that has so much room to make a silly error.

skittles · Subject: Re: Easy Counting Thu Aug 14, 2008 1:56 pm

Haha, I just wanted to be mean. But as long as you know the method, it doesn't really matter.

Urc · Subject: Re: Easy Counting Fri Aug 15, 2008 2:14 pm

skittles wrote:

Haha, I just wanted to be mean. But as long as you know the method, it doesn't really matter.

You're a mean mean person. Twisted Evil