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The coughlin family discovered they can stand in a row for their family portrait in 720 diferent ways. How many members are in the coughlin family

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There are six (6) members of the family.

The first person in the row can be any 1 of the 6. For each choice . . .
The 2nd person in the row can be any 1 of the other 5. For each choice . . .
The 3rd person in the row can be any 1 of the other 4. For each choice . . .
The 4th person in the row can be any 1 of the other 3. For each choice . . .
The 5th person in the row can be any 1 of the other 2. For each choice . . .
The 6th person in the row is the 1 who is left.

Total number of ways to line up = (6 x 5 x 4 x 3 x 2 x 1) = 720 ways .

This number is called " six factorial ", and it's written ' 6! ' .


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