Home › GRE General Test › Mathematics › Sequences, Probability and Counting Theory › A sundae bar offers 6 toppings, and any number o…
A sundae bar offers 6 toppings, and any number of them may be chosen, including none. How many different sundaes are possible?
A36 sundaes
B64 sundaes
C12 sundaes
D21 sundaes
Answer & Solution
Correct answer: B. 64 sundaes
1. Choosing any subset of toppings means each topping is independently in or out.
2. A set of n distinct objects has 2^n subsets, counting the empty choice.
3. With n = 6 toppings, that gives 2^6 = 64 different sundaes.
4. Option A, 36, squares 6 instead of doubling six times, a common slip with the subset rule.
_Source: OpenStax Algebra and Trigonometry (CC BY 4.0), Ch 13 "Sequences, Probability and Counting Theory", section 13.5 COUNTING PRINCIPLES_
Related questions
A six-sided number cube is rolled once. What is the probability of rolling a number greateTwo six-sided number cubes are rolled and the faces are summed. What is the probability thAn electronics store has 10 phones in stock and 4 of them are defective. A customer buys 2How many distinct rearrangements can be made from the letters of the word CARRIER?Twelve sprinters enter a race. In how many different ways can the gold, silver, and bronzeFor a business trip, Priya packs 3 skirts and 5 blouses, and each day decides whether or nAt the beginning of each month, $200 is deposited into a retirement fund that earns 6% annThe repeating decimal 0.777... can be written as the geometric series 0.7 + 0.07 + 0.007 +