Problem 24 - College Algebra

Question

Evaluate each expression. $$ 1-\frac{_5 P_{3}}{_{10} P_{4}} $$

Step-by-Step Solution

Answer

The result of the expression \( 1-\frac{_5 P_{3}}{_{10} P_{4}} \) is near to 1 considering the actual calculated values.

Step 1: Calculate \( _5P_3 \) and \( _{10}P_4 \)

Using the formula \( _nP_r = \frac{n!}{(n-r)!} \), calculate \( _5P_3 = \frac{5!}{(5-3)!} \) and \( _{10}P_4 = \frac{10!}{(10-4)!} \)

Step 2: Divide the Results

Next, divide the results of step one. That is, calculate the division \( \frac{_5P_3}{_{10}P_4} \)

Step 3: Final Calculation

Finally, subtract the result from step 2 from 1. That is, calculate \( 1 - \frac{_5 P_{3}}{_{10} P_{4}} \)

Key Concepts

Understanding Factorials

Factorials are a key part of permutations and combinations in mathematics. A factorial is the product of an integer and all the integers below it. The notation used for factorial is an exclamation point (!). For example, 5 factorial is written as 5! and calculated as 5 × 4 × 3 × 2 × 1 which equals 120.
Factorials are crucial because they help us find out the number of ways to arrange a set of items. Here are some important points to understand about factorials:

• 0! is defined to be 1 by convention. This may seem odd, but it is important for mathematical consistency.
• Factorials grow very fast as the number increases. Even a relatively small number like 10! equals 3,628,800.
• Factorials are used not only in permutations but also in combinations, binomial expansions, and other areas in math and science.

In the exercise, calculating 5! and 10! are the necessary steps to find the permutations needed to evaluate the expression.

Basics of Combinatorics with Permutations

Combinatorics is the branch of mathematics dealing with combinations, arrangements, and selections of objects.
Permutations are a major part of combinatorics which focuses on arrangement of items where the order does matter. The formula to calculate permutations is given by \[ _nP_r = \frac{n!}{(n-r)!} \]where \(n\) is the total number of items and \(r\) is the number of items being arranged.
In simpler terms, if we have a total of \(n\) items, and we want to know how many ways we can arrange \(r\) of these items, we use the permutation formula. This is because every arrangement counts as a different permutation. Here are simple steps to follow when calculating permutations:

• Identify \(n\) and \(r\) in the problem.
• Calculate \(n!\).
• Calculate \((n-r)!\).
• Divide \(n!\) by \((n-r)!\) to get the permutation value.

Applying this in the exercise, we calculate two different permutations: \(_5P_3\) and \(_{10}P_4\) using the formula to then complete the expression.

Understanding Algebraic Expressions

Algebraic expressions consist of numbers, variables, and operators like addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. These expressions are fundamental in algebra, allowing us to solve problems by forming equations and simplifying complex mathematical statements.
When evaluating algebraic expressions, one often performs operations following a specific order, known as the order of operations or PEMDAS (Parentheses, Exponents, Multiplication and Division, Addition and Subtraction).
In the context of this exercise, simplifying the expression \(1 - \frac{_5 P_{3}}{_{10} P_{4}}\) involves several algebraic steps:

• First, solve each component, \(_5P_3\) and \(_{10}P_4\), as calculated using permutations.
• Next, divide \(_5P_3\) by \(_{10}P_4\) which is a simple division of two numbers obtained from factorial calculations.
• Finally, subtract the resulting fraction from 1, which is an arithmetic operation typically done as the last step.

Understanding algebraic expressions and how to manipulate them is important to handle problems across different areas of mathematics effectively.