What are Combinations?

The combination is a concept that is concerned with the selection of some elements from a given set of elements. Here the order in which the elements are selected is not important. Now we look at the concept of combination further. The concept of combination implies the selection of some objects out of the given objects. The combination is not concerned with the arrangement of the chosen objects.

For example, the selection of 11 players from a wide number of players for a cricket team comes under combination (that’s it, only selection) but which player will bat first, which will bat second, and so on, this arrangement of players comes under permutation.

Formula to find the number of combinations

If we have ‘n’ elements out of which we want to select ‘r’ elements then the number of possible combinations is given by  

nrC = n! / r!(n – r)!

Difference between Permutations and Combinations

Difference between Permutations and Combinations: Probability is concerned with the chance or possibility that an event may occur or not occur if there are ‘n’ possibilities. Put simply, probability tells us the percentage of happening of an event. Probability can be expressed as a number from 0 to 1 or as a percentage. 

In this article, we will discuss the difference between Permutations and Combinations, with their definition, and formulas.

Table of Content

  • What are Permutations? 
    • Formula for finding the number of permutations
  • What are Combinations?
    • Formula to find the number of combinations
  • Difference between Permutations and Combinations
  • Sample Problems – Difference between Permutations and Combinations
  • FAQs on Difference between Permutations and Combinations

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