Question

Michael is packing his bags for his vacation. He has 5 unique shirts, but only 4 fit in his bag. How many different groups of 4 shirts can he take?

Answer 1

5 shirts

Explanation:

Think of this question like this, where each shirt option (5 options) has a number:

Shirt #1, Shirt #2, Shirt #3, Shirt #4, and lastly Shirt #5

Without using much math, the answer is 5 shirts because every possible outcome (of the 4 shirts Michael must pick to bring on vacation) will leave exactly one shirt that he will not be able to pack. The only possible outcomes that would fit this question would be:

1) Shirt #1, Shirt #2, Shirt #3, and Shirt #4

2) Shirt #2, Shirt #3, Shirt #4, and Shirt #5

3) Shirt #3, Shirt #4, Shirt #5, and Shirt #1

4) Shirt #4, Shirt #5, Shirt #1, and Shirt #2

5) Shirt #5, Shirt #1, Shirt #2, and Shirt #3

Answer 2

12

Explanation:

I think you have to use the product rule for counting- which is where you multiply the two numbers. I'm not sure if this is right but I hope I helped