📚 Considering Order – Permutations for Seats
  • Question:
  • Suppose 5 students are to be seated on 5 chairs. How many possibilities are there if the order matters?
  • Step-by-step Solution:
    1. Permutations count all arrangements when order matters: \( n! \)
    2. Plug in for 5 students: \(5! = 5 \times 4 \times 3 \times 2 \times 1 = 120\)
    3. This means: There are 120 different ways to seat the 5 students.
  • Note: If not all seats are filled (e.g., 3 out of 5), you would calculate \( P(5,~3) = 5 \times 4 \times 3 = 60\) possibilities.
  • Answer:
  • With all seats occupied, there are 120 different seating arrangements.
  • ⚙ permutation