Question

I need help with a simple word problem!:How many different 1st,2nd, and 3rd place finishers are possible for a race with 6 people in it?

Answer 1

120 ways

Step-by-step explanation:

We would be using permutation as the position each finihes is considered.

Total people in the race = 6

There are 3 place finishers:

The number of possilble ways = 6P3

`6P3\text{ = }(6!)/((6-3)!)`
`\begin{gathered} =(6!)/(3!)=(6*5*4*3!)/(3!) \\ =\text{ }6*5*4| \\ =\text{ 120 ways} \end{gathered}`