EXTENSION 1

Combinatorics (Ext1), A1 Working with Combinatorics (Y11)

Permutations and Combinations (Ext1)
Teacher: John Drake
Exam Equivalent Time: 70.5 minutes (based on allocation of 1.5 minutes per mark)

Questions

1. Combinatorics, EXT1 A1 2023 HSC 11b

In how many different ways can all the letters of the word CONDOBOLIN be arranged in a line?
(2 marks)

2. Combinatorics, EXT1 A1 2011 HSC 2e

Alex’s playlist consists of 40 different songs that can be arranged in any order.
i. How many arrangements are there for the 40 songs? (1 mark)

ii. Alex decides that she wants to play her three favourite songs first, in any order.
How many arrangements of the 40 songs are now possible? (1 mark)

3. Combinatorics, EXT1 A1 2004 HSC 2e

A four-person team is to be chosen at random from nine women and seven men.
i. In how many ways can this team be chosen? (1 mark)

ii. What is the probability that the team will consist of four women? (1 mark)

4. Combinatorics, EXT1 A1 2021 HSC 11d

A committee containing 5 men and 3 women is to be formed from a group of 10 men and 8
women.
In how many different ways can the committee be formed? (1 mark)
5. Combinatorics, EXT1 A1 EQ-Bank 4

How many numbers greater than 6000 can be formed with the digits 1, 4, 5, 7, 8 if no digit is
repeated. (2 marks)

6. Combinatorics, EXT1 A1 2012 HSC 11e

In how many ways can a committee of 3 men and 4 women be selected from a group of 8 men and
10 women? (1 mark)

7. Combinatorics, EXT1 A1 2007 HSC 5b

Mr and Mrs Roberts and their four children go to the theatre. They are randomly allocated six
adjacent seats in a single row.

What is the probability that the four children are allocated seats next to each other? (2 marks)

8. Combinatorics, EXT1′ A1 2007 HSC 5a

A bag contains 12 red marbles and 12 yellow marbles. Six marbles are selected at random
without replacement.
i. Calculate the probability that exactly three of the selected marbles are red. Give your answer
correct to two decimal places. (1 mark)
ii. Hence, or otherwise, calculate the probability that more than three of the selected marbles are
red. Give your answer correct to two decimal places. (2 marks)

9. Combinatorics, EXT1 A1 SM-Bank 6

i. In how many ways can the numbers 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4 be arranged around a circle? (1 mark)

ii. How many of these arrangements have at least two odd numbers together? (2 marks)
10. Combinatorics, EXT1 A1 SM-Bank 21

Eight points , are arranged in order around a circle, as shown below.

P1
P8 P2

P7 P3

P6 P4
P5

i. How many triangles can be drawn using these points as vertices? (1 mark)

ii. How many pairs of triangles can be drawn, where the vertices of each triangle are distinct
points? (2 marks)

11. Combinatorics, EXT1 A1 SM-Bank 5

i. In how many ways can the letters of COOKBOOK be arranged in a line? (1 mark)

ii. What is the probability that a random rearrangement of the letters has four O's together? (2
marks)

12. Combinatorics, EXT1 A1 2004 HSC 4c

Katie is one of ten members of a social club. Each week one member is selected at random to win
a prize.
i. What is the probability that in the first 7 weeks Katie will win at least 1 prize? (1 mark)

ii. Show that in the first 20 weeks Katie has a greater chance of winning exactly 2 prizes than of
winning exactly 1 prize. (2 marks)
iii. For how many weeks must Katie participate in the prize drawing so that she has a greater
chance of winning exactly 3 prizes than of winning exactly 2 prizes? (2 marks)
13. Combinatorics, EXT1 A1 2006 HSC 3c

Sophie has five coloured blocks: one red, one blue, one green, one yellow and one white. She
stacks two, three, four or five blocks on top of one another to form a vertical tower.
i. How many different towers are there that she could form that are three blocks high? (1 mark)

ii. How many different towers can she form in total? (2 marks)

14. Combinatorics, EXT1 A1 2008 HSC 4b

Barbara and John and six other people go through a doorway one at a time.
i. In how many ways can the eight people go through the doorway if John goes through the
doorway after Barbara with no-one in between? (1 mark)
ii. Find the number of ways in which the eight people can go through the doorway if John goes
through the doorway after Barbara. (1 mark)

15. Combinatorics, EXT1 A1 2010 HSC 3a

At the front of a building there are five garage doors. Two of the doors are to be painted red, one
is to be painted green, one blue and one orange.
i. How many possible arrangements are there for the colours on the doors? (1 mark)

ii. How many possible arrangements are there for the colours on the doors if the two red doors
are next to each other? (1 mark)

16. Combinatorics, EXT1 A1 SM-Bank 20

How many rectangles, including all squares, can be found in the 4 × 5 grid below, in total? (2 marks)
17. Combinatorics, EXT1 A1 2015 HSC 14c

Two players and play a series of games against each other to get a prize. In any game, either
of the players is equally likely to win.

To begin with, the first player who wins a total of 5 games gets the prize.

i. Explain why the probability of player getting the prize in exactly 7 games is . (1

mark)

ii. Write an expression for the probability of player getting the prize in at most 7 games. (1 mark)

iii. Suppose now that the prize is given to the first player to win a total of games, where
is a positive integer.
By considering the probability that gets the prize, prove that

. (2 marks)
18. Combinatorics, EXT1 A1 2014 HSC 14b

Two players and play a game that consists of taking turns until a winner is determined.
Each turn consists of spinning the arrow on a spinner once. The spinner has three sectors ,
and . The probabilities that the arrow stops in sectors , and are , and
respectively.

The rules of the game are as follows:

• If the arrow stops in sector , then the player having the turn wins.

• If the arrow stops in sector , then the player having the turn loses and the other player wins.

• If the arrow stops in sector , then the other player takes a turn.

Player takes the first turn.

i. Show that the probability of player winning on the first or the second turn of the game is
. (2 marks)

ii. Show that the probability that player eventually wins the game is . (3 marks)

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