Counting Principle: Solving by Listing

🔢 Practice Problem

Try this problem first to get started with the concept of counting principle:

📘 What is the Counting Principle?

The counting principle helps us find the number of possible outcomes by multiplying the number of choices at each stage. Sometimes, we can solve problems by simply listing all possibilities.

Example 1: You have 2 shirts (red, blue) and 3 pants (black, gray, white). How many outfits can you make?

• Red - Black
• Red - Gray
• Red - White
• Blue - Black
• Blue - Gray
• Blue - White

Total: 6 combinations

Example 2: A coin is flipped and a die is rolled. How many outcomes are possible?

• Heads-1, Heads-2, Heads-3, Heads-4, Heads-5, Heads-6
• Tails-1, Tails-2, Tails-3, Tails-4, Tails-5, Tails-6

Total: 12 outcomes

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