Final answer:
The number of different ways the director can cast the three male roles in a production of Grease with eight actors available is 336, calculated using permutations.
Step-by-step explanation:
The student has asked how many different ways a director can cast the male roles of Danny, Kenickie, and Marty in a production of Grease, with eight actors being considered.
To solve this, we apply the concept of permutations where we have 8 options for the first role, then 7 for the second, and 6 for the third, since the roles are distinct and the same actor cannot play more than one role.
Therefore, the calculation is 8 x 7 x 6 = 336 different possible ways the director can cast these three roles.