Will must choose a 3-character computer password,

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BTGModeratorVI: Legendary Member; Posts: 1223; Joined: Sat Feb 15, 2020 2:23 pmFollowed by: 1 member

by BTGModeratorVI » Sun Feb 23, 2020 6:51 am

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Will must choose a 3-character computer password, consisting of 1 letter from the alphabet and 2 distinct digits, in any order.From how many different passwords can Will choose?

A. 390
B. 2,340
C. 4,680
D. 7,020
E. 14,040

Answer: D
Source: Princeton Review

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Source: Beat The GMAT — Problem Solving | Sun Feb 23, 2020 6:51 am

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Brent@GMATPrepNow: GMAT Instructor; Posts: 16207; Joined: Mon Dec 08, 2008 6:26 pmFollowed by: 1268 members; Location: Vancouver, BC; Thanked: 5254 times; GMAT Score:770

Re: Will must choose a 3-character computer password,

by Brent@GMATPrepNow » Wed Feb 26, 2020 7:25 am

BTGModeratorVI wrote: ↑
Sun Feb 23, 2020 6:51 am
Will must choose a 3-character computer password, consisting of 1 letter from the alphabet and 2 distinct digits, in any order.From how many different passwords can Will choose?

A. 390
B. 2,340
C. 4,680
D. 7,020
E. 14,040

Answer: D
Source: Princeton Review

Take the task of creating a password and break it into stages.

Stage 1: Select the one letter to be used in the code
There are 26 letters from which to choose, so we can complete this stage in 26 ways.

Stage 2: Select the two digits to be used in the code
Since the order in which we select the two digits does not matter, we can use combinations.
We can select 2 digits from 10 women in 10C2 ways (45 ways)
So, we can complete stage 2 in 45 ways

NOTE: We now have the 3 characters to be used in the code. At this point, we need to arrange those 3 characters.

Stage 3: Arrange the 3 selected characters.
RULE: We can arrange n unique objects in n! ways.
So, we can arrange the 3 characters in 3! ways (6 ways)
So we can complete stage 3 in 6 ways.

By the Fundamental Counting Principle (FCP), we can complete all 3 stages (and thus create a password ) in (26)(45)(6) ways
(26)(45)(6) = 7020

Answer: D

Note: the FCP can be used to solve the MAJORITY of counting questions on the GMAT. For more information about the FCP, watch this free video: https://www.gmatprepnow.com/module/gmat- ... /video/775

You can also watch a demonstration of the FCP in action: https://www.gmatprepnow.com/module/gmat ... /video/776

Then you can try solving the following questions:

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MEDIUM
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Cheers,
Brent

Brent Hanneson - Creator of GMATPrepNow.com

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Scott@TargetTestPrep: GMAT Instructor; Posts: 8139; Joined: Sat Apr 25, 2015 10:56 amFollowed by: 29 members; Location: Los Angeles, CA; Thanked: 43 times

Re: Will must choose a 3-character computer password,

by Scott@TargetTestPrep » Fri Feb 28, 2020 8:00 am

BTGModeratorVI wrote: ↑
Sun Feb 23, 2020 6:51 am
Will must choose a 3-character computer password, consisting of 1 letter from the alphabet and 2 distinct digits, in any order.From how many different passwords can Will choose?

A. 390
B. 2,340
C. 4,680
D. 7,020
E. 14,040

Answer: D
Source: Princeton Review

Since there are 26 letters and 10 digits, the number of 3-character passwords that can be created is 26 x 10 x 9 = 2,340, if the password is in the form of LDD, where L means letter and D means digit. However, the password can also be in the form of DLD and DDL, each of which can also be created in 2,340 ways. Thus, the total number of passwords is 2,340 x 3 = 7,020.

Answer: D

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