Permutations and combinations worksheet for Statistics
Statistics uses counting to size a sample space: committees and random groups are combinations, while ordered results such as rankings or seat assignments are permutations. Repeated letters in an arrangement divide out the orders that look the same.
Also taught in Algebra 2, Precalculus and Geometry, each at its own level and with its own examples.
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Sigma Prep · sigmaprep.io/worksheets Name Permutations and Combinations Date Period Evaluate each expression, or count each set of choices.
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Sigma Prep · sigmaprep.io/worksheets Name Permutations and CombinationsAnswer keyVersion 4 Date Period Evaluate each expression, or count each set of choices.
Free math worksheets at sigmaprep.io/worksheets© 2026 Sigma Prep |
How to do these
A committee of 3 is chosen from 10 people. How many committees are possible?
- Order does not matter in a committee, so use a combination.
- 10C3 = (10 × 9 × 8) ÷ (3 × 2 × 1).
The answer is .
Where students go wrong
Using a permutation for a group. Choosing 3 people for a committee ignores order, so it is 10C3 = 120, not 10P3 = 720.
Also called nPr and nCr.
What you can put on this worksheet
- Permutations
- →
- Combinations
- →
- Permutation or combination? Word problems
- A teacher picks 2 of 7 students to present. How many groups are possible? →
- Letters with repeats
- How many different arrangements of the letters in SUCCESS are there? →
- Arrange all of them: n!
- 4 runners finish a race with no ties. In how many different orders can they finish? →
- List every arrangement of a small set
- List every way to arrange the letters B, M and P. → {BMP, BPM, MBP, MPB, PBM, PMB}
- List every combination of a small set
- List every group of 2 letters that can be chosen from B, F, M and P. → {BF, BM, BP, FM, FP, MP}
- nCr with r close to n, and in expressions
- →
- Permutation or combination? Say which
- A committee of 3 is chosen from 16 members. Is this a permutation or a combination? → Combination
- Handshakes, games, locks and other tricky counts
- 9 teams play in a tournament and the top 4 move on to the next round. How many different groups of teams could move on? →
- Find n from nPr or nCr
- Given that , find . →
- A combination equal to another, and why
- Without working either out, explain why → Choosing the 4 to take is the same as choosing the 10 to leave
- nPr with a variable; a word with so many arrangements
- Write a word (any letters) whose letters can be arranged in exactly 6 ways → One answer: AABB
- Cards to everyone vs handshakes
- Every two of 9 people trade phone numbers once. How many trades? →
- nPr and nCr with a letter
- Simplify: PC →