How many ways can you distribute 4 different balls among 4 different boxes?
It sounds the same as putting 4 different people in a queue.
That is just 4! = 24
Edit: Added after Tertre's answer.
I have only considered the possibility of 1 ball per box.
If any number of the balls can be in any box the number is a lot bigger.
Tertre says it is 4^4. She may well be correct. [4^4=256]
I counted with three balls and 3 boxes and her answer of 3^3 is definitely correct.
I have not worked through the logic of 4 balls though. I expect if is 4^4 just as Tertre claims.
one in each box = 4!= 24
2 in one and one in two others = 4C2*3*2*4=144
2 in one and 2 in another
= 2 in the red and 2 in one other = 4C2*3 = 6*3 =18
plus none in the red, 2 in white, 2 in one other = 4C2*2 = 12
plus none in red, none in white, 2 in blue and 2 in yellow = 4C2 = 6
18+12+6=36
3 in one and one in another = 4*4 *3= 48
4 in one box = 4
24+144+36+48+4 = 256
256 is Tertre's answer too.
Tertre can you please spell out your logic to get this directly as 4^4