My local shop wants to create a sign that says PUZZLES, and they have the following letters, each in a different colour:
P P P U U Z Z Z Z Z L L L L E S S
How many different ways can they make the sign?
Puzzle Copyright © Kevin Stone
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Hint
There are 3 P's, so there are 3 different ways to start the word.
Answer
960.
Reasoning
Given: P P P U U Z Z Z Z Z L L L L E S S.
The order of the Z's is important. For example, we could chose a red one and a green one, so the order they appear in the sign has to be taken into consideration.
There are:
3 different P's that could be chosen.
2 different U's that could be chosen.
5 different Z's that could be chosen.
4 different Z's that could be chosen, as one has already been chosen.
4 different L's that could be chosen.
1 E that could be chosen.
2 different S's that could be chosen.
So there are 3 x 2 x 5 x 4 x 4 x 1 x 2 = 960 different ways to make the sign.
