combination and permutation
In mathematics, combination and permutation are two different ways of grouping elements of a set into subsets. In a combination, the elements of the subset can be listed in any order. In a permutation, the elements of the subset are listed in a specific order.
All data sets have a finite number of combinations as well as a finite number of permutations. This makes them useful for calculating probability for complex events. The more elements contained in a set, the greater the number of possible permutations and the smaller the probability that a specific permutation will occur.
The common notations used for combination and permutation are as follows:
The number of combinations of n units
C(n,r)= n!
(n−r)!r!
The number of permutations of n units considered r at a time is:
P(n,r)= n!
(n−r)!