The number of ways five alphabets can be chosen from the alphabets of the word MATHEMATICS, where the chosen alphabets are not necessarily distinct, is equal to:
- 179
- 177
- 175
- 181
Answer
(1) 179
Solution
MATHEMATICS: M, A, T twice each; H, E, I, C, S once ⇒ 8 different letters, 3 of them available twice
(i) All 5 different: 8C5 = 56
(ii) 1 alike pair + 3 different: 3C1 7C3 = 3 35 = 105
(iii) 2 alike pairs + 1 different: 3C2 6C1 = 3 6 = 18
∴ Total = 56 + 105 + 18 = 179
Answer: (1)