How many distinct rearrangements can be made from the letters of the word CARRIER?
A840 ways
B5,040 ways
C1,680 ways
D2,520 ways
Answer & Solution
Correct answer: A. 840 ways
1. CARRIER has 7 letters: C, A, R, R, I, E, R.
2. If all letters were distinct there would be 7! = 5,040 orderings.
3. The letter R repeats 3 times, and rearranging identical letters among themselves changes nothing.
4. Divide by the 3! = 6 internal orderings of the three Rs.
5. The count of distinct arrangements is 7!/3! = 5,040/6.
6. That gives 840 distinct rearrangements of the word.
7. Option B, 5,040, never corrects for the repeated Rs, so it counts each true arrangement six times.
8. Option C divides by 3 instead of 3!, and option D divides by 2! as if only two letters repeated.
_Source: OpenStax Algebra and Trigonometry (CC BY 4.0), Ch 13 "Sequences, Probability and Counting Theory", section 13.5 COUNTING PRINCIPLES_
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