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Suppose you choose a ring with 5 different stones. Will you have more options if the order of the stones matter or if the order of the stones does not matter? Justify your answer using numbers and words.

User Nheid
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If the order of the stones matters, then we are considering arrangements of the stones on the ring. In this case, we can use the concept of permutations to determine the number of options.

When choosing 5 stones with the order mattering, we have 5 choices for the first stone, 4 choices for the second stone, 3 choices for the third stone, 2 choices for the fourth stone, and 1 choice for the fifth stone. By multiplying these choices together, we get the total number of permutations:

Total permutations = 5 * 4 * 3 * 2 * 1 = 120

So, if the order of the stones matters, there are 120 different options for arranging the stones on the ring.

On the other hand, if the order of the stones does not matter, we are considering combinations of the stones. In this case, we can use the concept of combinations to determine the number of options.

When choosing 5 stones with the order not mattering, we can calculate the number of combinations:

Total combinations = (5 choose 5) = 1

So, if the order of the stones does not matter, there is only 1 option, which is having all 5 stones on the ring.

Therefore, if you want more options for the ring with 5 different stones, the order of the stones should matter. In this case, there are 120 different arrangements of the stones on the ring.

User Lennart Hoffmann
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