Final answer:
The number of ways to choose four students out of 40 is found using the combinations formula C(40, 4) = 40! / (4!(36)!), which equals 91,390 different combinations.
Step-by-step explanation:
Calculating Combinations
The question on how to select four students out of 40 for a trip involves calculating combinations, which is a concept in probability and combinatorics, both branches of mathematics. To determine the number of ways to choose four students from a group of 40, you will use the combinations formula, which is expressed as C(n, k) = n! / (k!(n-k)!), where n is the total number of items, k is the number of items to choose, and '!' denotes factorial.
Let's go through the calculation step-by-step:
- First, calculate the factorial of the total number of students, which is 40!.
- Next, calculate the factorial of the number of students to be chosen, which is 4!.
- Then, calculate the factorial of the difference between the total number and the number to be chosen, which is (40-4)!.
- Finally, divide the factorial of the total number by the product of the factorial of the number to be chosen and the factorial of the difference: C(40, 4) = 40! / (4!(40-4)!).
Use a calculator or software to find that C(40, 4) equals 91,390. Therefore, there are 91,390 different ways to choose four students from a group of 40.