In how many of ways can 5 balls be placed in 4 tins if any number of balls can be placed in any tin?
(A) 5C4
(B) 5P4
(C) 54
(D) 4^5
(E) 5^5
OA is D
What is the best approach to solving this question, an Expert explanation would be appreciated.
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Permutations and Combination
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BTGmoderatorRO
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Hi Roland2rule,
We're asked for the number of ways that 5 balls be placed in 4 tins if any number of balls can be placed in any tin.
Since there are no 'restrictions' in terms of which ball can be placed in which tin, we have a straight-forward Permutation to work with:
-The 1st ball can be placed in any of 4 tins.
-The 2nd ball can be placed in any of 4 tins.
Etc.
That means there are (4)(4)(4)(4)(4) = 4^5 possible ways to place the balls.
Final Answer: D
GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich
We're asked for the number of ways that 5 balls be placed in 4 tins if any number of balls can be placed in any tin.
Since there are no 'restrictions' in terms of which ball can be placed in which tin, we have a straight-forward Permutation to work with:
-The 1st ball can be placed in any of 4 tins.
-The 2nd ball can be placed in any of 4 tins.
Etc.
That means there are (4)(4)(4)(4)(4) = 4^5 possible ways to place the balls.
Final Answer: D
GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich
GMAT/MBA Expert
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Scott@TargetTestPrep
- GMAT Instructor
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Since any of the 5 balls have 4 choices of tins to be placed in, the number of ways is 4 x 4 x 4 x 4 x 4 = 4^5.BTGmoderatorRO wrote:In how many of ways can 5 balls be placed in 4 tins if any number of balls can be placed in any tin?
(A) 5C4
(B) 5P4
(C) 54
(D) 4^5
(E) 5^5
Answer: D
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