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A chemistry teacher has 5 flasks on the lab bench labeled A,B,C,D and E. In preparing a lab for her students, she will randomly place different solvents in each flask and have student use chemical diagnostic tests ot determine what is in each beaker.

 

If five different solvents are placed in the beaker at random, there are 5! = 120 different arrangments. But if the teacher decides to use only 4 solvents instead of 5, how will the arrangments still be 120. Explain.

 Jan 31, 2015

Best Answer 

 #1
avatar+118673 
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It will be 5!/2

Consider any of the possible arrangements.

2 of the flasks will be the same so you can swap them over and the outcome will be the same.

So the number of possible outcomes is halved.

 Feb 1, 2015
 #1
avatar+118673 
+5
Best Answer

It will be 5!/2

Consider any of the possible arrangements.

2 of the flasks will be the same so you can swap them over and the outcome will be the same.

So the number of possible outcomes is halved.

Melody Feb 1, 2015

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