Question

How many permutations are there in the letters beat?

Answer 1

There are `24` permutations. See explanation for details.

Explanation:

There are `4` letters. The number of permutations can be calculated in `2` ways:

1. The number of permutations with `n` elements is `P_n=n!`. Here it is `P_4=4! =1*2*3*4=24`

2. The number of possible words can also be calculated this way:

3. First letter can be chosen in `4` ways,

4. Second letter can only be chosen from `3`, because one has already been used,

5. The third letter can be chosen from `2`,

6. The last letter is picked without any choice; there is only one letter left.

The total number of possibilities can be calculated as the product of all numbers mentioned above:

`P_4=4*3*2*1=24`