Math Is Fun Forum

itskatie8

Member

Registered: 2009-03-17

Posts: 2

Help before I lose my mind!

I have 2 problems that are on Course compass that I can not figure out what the correct answers are.

1.  From a normal deck of 52 cards, three cards are drawn and placed face up from left to right.  How many possible ways are ther of this procedure.  I have tried 52P3, 52C3   52 x 51 x50 /3 x 2 X1, every imaginable way to get it right and it is just wrong.  Here are a few of my answers.  132600, 22100, 136304, 351655200.  I realize some of these choices were a stretch, but I am grabbing at this point.

2.  A teacher is is choosing 6 books from a stack of 34 books.  How many different combinations are there?  34 C 6 = 1344904  (wrong)6x5x4x3x2x1= 720 wrong..... I give up!  I just don't get this. 

Does anyone have any suggestions because my teacher, bless her heart, is as confused as I am. 

Thanks Its Katie8

mathsyperson

Moderator

Registered: 2005-06-22

Posts: 4,900

Re: Help before I lose my mind!

I'd have said that the answers were 52P3 and 34C6.
How do you know that those are wrong?

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Why did the vector cross the road?
It wanted to be normal.

MathsIsFun

Administrator

Registered: 2005-01-21

Posts: 7,713

Re: Help before I lose my mind!

Try the Combinations and Permutations Calculator for confirmation.

I got 132600 and 1344904.

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"The physicists defer only to mathematicians, and the mathematicians defer only to God ..."  - Leon M. Lederman

Jai Ganesh

Administrator

Registered: 2005-06-28

Posts: 48,045

Re: Help before I lose my mind!

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It appears to me that if one wants to make progress in mathematics, one should study the masters and not the pupils. - Niels Henrik Abel.

Nothing is better than reading and gaining more and more knowledge - Stephen William Hawking.

itskatie8

Member

Registered: 2009-03-17

Posts: 2

Re: Help before I lose my mind!

Thank you all very much!!  I knew I wasn't losing my mind.  I came up with all of those answers and the computer marked them wrong.  I don't know what it wants me to put in.  I have tried every version of the answer from putting the whole thing to just putting the final answer.  Still it marked them wrong.  Well, at least now, thanks to you guys I have something to show my prof.   Again Thank you!