Q.Find the number of different words that can be formed from the letters of the word 'TRIANGLE' so that no vowels are together.
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🔒 Start your 14-day free trial to unlock the full solution →Concept understanding — Permutations Without Repetition
Permutations Without Repetition – The Idea of Arranging Things
Imagine you have three different books on a shelf: a Physics book, a Chemistry book, and a Maths book. How many different ways can you arrange them in a row?
You could try listing them out:
- Physics, Chemistry, Maths
- Physics, Maths, Chemistry
- Chemistry, Physics, Maths
- Chemistry, Maths, Physics
- Maths, Physics, Chemistry
- Maths, Chemistry, Physics
That's 6 arrangements. Notice that each arrangement uses all three books exactly once — no book is repeated, and no book is left out. This is the core idea: permutations without repetition count the number of ways to arrange a set of distinct objects in order, using each object exactly once.
Why "Without Repetition"?
The phrase "without repetition" means that once you place an object in a position, you cannot use it again. In our book example, once you put the Physics book in the first slot, you cannot put it in the second or third slot. Each object appears exactly once in the arrangement.
This is different from "permutations with repetition" (like creating 3-letter codes from the letters A, B, C where you can reuse letters — e.g., AAA, AAB, etc.). Here, no repeats allowed.
The Counting Logic – Why Multiply?
Let's build the arrangement step by step for 3 distinct books:
- First position: You have 3 choices (any of the 3 books).
- Second position: After placing the first book, only 2 books remain — so 2 choices.
- Third position: Only 1 book is left — so 1 choice.
Total arrangements = 3×2×1=6.
This product 3×2×1 is called 3 factorial, written as 3!.
P(n)=n!=n×(n−1)×(n−2)×⋯×2×1
For n distinct objects, the number of permutations (arrangements in order) is n!.
What If You Only Arrange Some of Them?
Suppose you have 5 different books, but you only want to arrange 3 of them on a shelf. How many ways?
- First position: 5 choices
- Second position: 4 choices
- Third position: 3 choices
Total = 5×4×3=60.
This is a permutation of 5 objects taken 3 at a time, written as P(5,3) or 5P3.
P(n,r)=(n−r)!n!=n×(n−1)×⋯×(n−r+1)
Here n is the total number of distinct objects, and r is how many you are arranging. The formula works because:
- Numerator n! counts all arrangements of all n objects.
- Denominator (n−r)! removes the arrangements of the n−r objects you are not using.
Key Points to Remember
- Order matters — swapping two objects gives a different permutation.
- No repetition — each object is used at most once.
- For arranging all n objects: n!
- For arranging r out of n objects: (n−r)!n!
Common Mistake to Avoid …
The key idea is Permutations Without Repetition combined with the gap method to enforce that no vowels are together.
Step 1: Identify consonants and vowels.
In 'TRIANGLE', the consonants are T, R, N, G, L (5 letters) and the vowels are I, A, E (3 letters).
Step 2: First arrange the 5 consonants.
Number of ways to arrange them: 5!=120.
Step 3: Create gaps for vowels.
After arranging 5 consonants, there are 6 gaps (including ends):
_ C _ C _ C _ C _ C _ …
The key idea is to first arrange the consonants, then place the vowels in the gaps between them. For the word 'TRIANGLE', this gives 14,400 different words where no two vowels are together.
We have the word TRIANGLE. Let's first identify what we're working with. The letters are: T, R, I, A, N, G, L, E. That's 8 distinct letters — no repetitions, which simplifies things.
The vowels in English are A, E, I, O, U. Here, the vowels are I, A, E — three of them. The consonants are the remaining five: T, R, N, G, L.
The condition "no vowels are together" means that in any valid arrangement, between any two vowels there must be at least one consonant. This is a classic "gap method" problem.
Why the gap method works
If we try to arrange all 8 letters directly while checking for adjacent vowels, it's messy. Instead, we separate the problem into two clean stages:
- Arrange the consonants first — this creates spaces (gaps) around and between them.
- Then choose some of those gaps to place the vowels, one vowel per gap. This guarantees no two vowels touch.
Since all letters are distinct, each arrangement of consonants and each choice of gaps multiplies the possibilities.
Step-by-step solution
1. Arrange the 5 consonants (T, R, N, G, L).
These are 5 distinct letters. The number of ways to arrange them in a row is simply the number of permutations of 5 distinct items:
5!=5×4×3×2×1=120
So there are 120 possible sequences of consonants.
2. Identify the gaps where vowels can go.
Once the 5 consonants are placed in a line, they create spaces where vowels can be inserted. For example, if the consonants are arranged as _ C _ C _ C _ C _ C _, each underscore is a potential gap.
How many gaps? With 5 consonants, there are:
- 1 gap before the first consonant
- 1 gap between each pair of consecutive consonants (that's 4 gaps)
- 1 gap after the last consonant
Total gaps = 5+1=6.
This "gaps = consonants + 1" rule works for any linear arrangement. Always count the ends.
3. Choose 3 gaps out of these 6 to place the vowels.
We have 3 distinct vowels (I, A, E) to place, and we need to put exactly one vowel in each chosen gap. Since the vowels are distinct, the order in which we assign them to the chosen gaps matters.
First, choose which 3 gaps (out of 6) will receive a vowel. The number of ways to choose 3 gaps is:
(36)=20 …
Showing the 12 most recent of 16 on this concept.
- TG EAPCET 2026Set eng-2026-05-11-AN1 markMCQQ.If 3×3 matrices are formed by using 0,±1,±2 as their elements, then the number of matrices whose trace is 0 is (A) 56(19) (B) 59(16) (C) 56(15) (D) 58(14)
›Reveal solutionSolution
The trace is the sum of the three diagonal entries. Count all ways to choose the 6 off‑diagonal entries freely (each from 5 values), then count the number of triples of diagonal entries summing to 0. Multiply: 56×19. The correct option is (A).
Concept & Intuition
A 3×3 matrix has 9 entries. The trace is the sum of the three diagonal entries: a11+a22+a33. The problem asks for matrices whose trace is exactly 0. The off‑diagonal entries (the other 6 positions) have no effect on the trace, so they can be chosen freely from the set {0,±1,±2} — that’s 5 choices each. The only restriction is on the three diagonal entries: their sum must be 0. So the total number of matrices = (number of ways to choose the 6 off‑diagonal entries) × (number of ordered triples (x,y,z) from {0,±1,±2} with x+y+z=0).
Step‑by‑step solution
-
Count the off‑diagonal entries
There are 9−3=6 off‑diagonal positions. Each can be any of the 5 numbers 0,1,−1,2,−2.
Number of ways = 56.
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Count the diagonal triples summing to 0
We need ordered triples (a,b,c) with each in {−2,−1,0,1,2} and a+b+c=0.
Let’s list all possibilities systematically by the value of the sum of two numbers, or simply enumerate:
- All three zero: (0,0,0) → 1 triple.
- One zero, the other two opposites: Pairs of opposites: (1,−1), (−1,1), (2,−2), (−2,2). The zero can be in any of the 3 positions. For each opposite pair, 3 placements → 4×3=12 triples.
- No zero, all three nonzero:
The only way three nonzero numbers from {±1,±2} sum to 0 is if they are either:
- One 1, one -1, and one 0 — but that’s already covered (zero present).
- Actually, with no zero, the only possibility is one 2, one -2, and one 0 — again zero present.
- Wait: can we have three nonzero numbers summing to 0? Possibilities: (1,1,−2) and permutations: sum = 0. …
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- TG EAPCET 2025Set eng-2025-05-02-AN1 markMCQQ.The number of non negative integral solutions of the equation x+y+z+t=10 when x≥2,z≥5 is (A) 80 (B) 20 (C) 50 (D) 10
›Reveal solutionSolution
Use the substitution method to enforce the lower bounds, then apply the stars-and-bars formula for non‑negative integer solutions. The number of solutions is 20.
The problem asks for the number of non‑negative integer solutions to x+y+z+t=10 with the restrictions x≥2 and z≥5. The core idea is to transform the variables so that the lower bounds become zero, turning the problem into a standard stars‑and‑bars count.
We have four variables, each must be a whole number (including zero), but two of them have minimum values. The standard formula for the number of non‑negative integer solutions to a1+a2+⋯+ak=n is (k−1n+k−1). To use it, we first eliminate the lower bounds.
- Define new variables to remove the lower bounds. Let x′=x−2 and z′=z−5. Since x≥2 and z≥5, both x′ and z′ are non‑negative integers. The original equation becomes:
(x′+2)+y+(z′+5)+t=10
Simplify:
x′+y+z′+t+7=10⇒x′+y+z′+t=3
- Now count the non‑negative integer solutions of the transformed equation. We have four variables (x′,y,z′,t) that sum to 3. Using stars‑and‑bars with n=3 and k=4:
Number of solutions=(k−1n+k−1)=(4−13+4−1)=(36)
- Compute the binomial coefficient. …
- TG EAPCET 2024Set eng-2024-05-11-FN1 markMCQQ.The coefficient of xy2z3 in the expansion of (x−2y+3z)6 is (A) 6480 (B) 3240 (C) 1620 (D) 810
›Reveal solutionSolution
The coefficient is found using the multinomial theorem: we sum over all ways to pick exponents that sum to 6, then multiply by the combinatorial factor and the powers of the constants. The result is −6480, but since the problem asks for the coefficient (which can be negative) and the options are all positive, we take the absolute value? Actually, careful: the term is xy2z3, so the sign from (−2y)2 is positive, and from (3z)3 is positive, and from x is positive — so the coefficient is positive. The correct value is 6480, option (A).
Concept & Intuition
When expanding (x−2y+3z)6, each term in the expansion corresponds to picking, for each of the 6 factors, one of the three terms x, −2y, or 3z. The coefficient of a specific monomial like xaybzc (with a+b+c=6) is given by the multinomial coefficient a!b!c!6! times the product of the constants raised to the appropriate powers. Here we want x1y2z3, so a=1, b=2, c=3.
Step-by-step
-
Identify the exponents
We need the term where x appears once, y appears twice, and z appears three times. So a=1, b=2, c=3. Check: 1+2+3=6, good.
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Multinomial coefficient
The number of ways to arrange one x, two (−2y)'s, and three (3z)'s in a product of six factors is
1!2!3!6!=1⋅2⋅6720=12720=60.
- Include the constants Each time we pick x, we multiply by 1 (coefficient of x is 1). Each time we pick −2y, we multiply by −2. Since we pick it twice, the contribution is (−2)2=4. …
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- TG EAPCET 2024Set eng-2024-05-11-FN1 markMCQQ.If two dice are rolled, then the probability of getting a multiple of 3 as the sum of the numbers appeared on the top faces of the dice, if it is known that their sum is an odd number, is (A) 61 (B) 3611 (C) 31 (D) 187
›Reveal solutionSolution
This is a conditional probability problem: we restrict the sample space to only odd sums (18 outcomes) and count how many of those are multiples of 3 (6 outcomes), giving probability 186=31. The correct option is (C).
Concept and Intuition
The phrase “if it is known that their sum is an odd number” tells us this is a conditional probability problem. We are not interested in all 36 possible dice rolls — only those where the sum is odd. Once we restrict to that smaller set, we ask: within that set, what fraction gives a sum that is a multiple of 3?
A common mistake is to compute the probability of “sum is a multiple of 3” from the full 36 outcomes and then try to adjust — but conditional probability is simpler: just count the outcomes that satisfy both conditions and divide by the number that satisfy the given condition.
Step-by-step solution
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Total possible outcomes when rolling two dice
Each die has 6 faces, so there are 6×6=36 equally likely ordered pairs (a,b).
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Identify the condition: sum is odd
A sum is odd when one die shows an even number and the other shows an odd number.
- Even numbers on a die: {2,4,6} (3 choices)
- Odd numbers on a die: {1,3,5} (3 choices) So the number of ordered pairs with an odd sum is:
3×3(first even, second odd)+3×3(first odd, second even)=9+9=18.
Thus, the restricted sample space has 18 equally likely outcomes.
-
Find which odd sums are multiples of 3
Possible sums from two dice range from 2 to 12. The odd sums in that range are: 3, 5, 7, 9, 11.
Among these, the multiples of 3 are: 3 and 9.
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Count outcomes giving sum = 3
Sum = 3: possible ordered pairs are (1,2) and (2,1) → 2 outcomes.
-
Count outcomes giving sum = 9
Sum = 9: possible ordered pairs are (3,6), (4,5), (5,4), (6,3) → 4 outcomes.
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Total favorable outcomes …
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- TG EAPCET 2023Set eng-2023-05-12-AN1 markMCQQ.The total number of all those 3-digit numbers in which the sum of all the digits in each of them is 10, is (A) 54 (B) 55 (C) 56 (D) 58
›Reveal solutionSolution
To find the number of 3-digit numbers whose digits sum to 10, we set up an equation for the digits with appropriate constraints and solve it using stars and bars with exclusions. The total number of such numbers is 54.
Concept and Intuition
A 3-digit number can be represented by its digits, say a, b, and c, where a is the hundreds digit, b is the tens digit, and c is the units digit. For a number to be a valid 3-digit number, its first digit (a) cannot be zero. All digits must also be single-digit numbers (0-9).
The problem asks for the count of such numbers where the sum of these digits is 10. This translates into finding the number of integer solutions to an equation, subject to specific constraints on each variable (digit). This type of problem is typically solved using a combinatorial technique called "stars and bars," often combined with the principle of inclusion-exclusion to handle upper-bound constraints.
Step-by-Step Solution
- Define the variables and the equation: Let the 3-digit number be abc. The digits are a, b, and c. The problem states that the sum of the digits is 10:
a+b+c=10
-
Apply constraints on the digits:
For abc to be a 3-digit number, the following conditions must hold for its digits:
- The first digit a cannot be 0. So, 1≤a≤9.
- The other digits b and c can be any digit from 0 to 9. So, 0≤b≤9 and 0≤c≤9.
To use the standard stars and bars formula, which applies to non-negative integers, we first adjust the constraint on a. Let a′=a−1. Since a≥1, we have a′≥0.
Substitute a=a′+1 into the equation:
(a′+1)+b+c=10
a′+b+c=9
Now, we need to find the number of integer solutions to $a' + b + c = 9$ subject to: * $a' \ge 0$ (from $a \ge 1$) * $a' \le 8$ (from $a \le 9 \implies a'+1 \le 9 \implies a' \le 8$) * $0 \le b \le 9$ * $0 \le c \le 9$3. Calculate total non-negative solutions without upper bounds:
First, let's find the total number of non-negative integer solutions to a′+b+c=9 without considering the upper bounds (a′≤8,b≤9,c≤9).
> [!FORMULA]
> The number of non-negative integer solutions to x1+x2+⋯+xk=n is given by (k−1n+k−1).
Here, n=9 (the sum) and k=3 (the number of variables a′,b,c).
The number of solutions is (3−19+3−1)=(211).
(211)=2×111×10=55
These 55 solutions satisfy $a' \ge 0, b \ge 0, c \ge 0$.4. Exclude solutions violating upper bounds:
Now we must subtract any solutions from the 55 that violate the upper limits:
* a′>8 (i.e., a′≥9)
* b>9 (i.e., b≥10)
* c>9 (i.e., c≥10)
Let's examine each case: * **Case 1: $a' \ge 9$.** Let $a' = 9 + k$, where $k \ge 0$. Substitute this into $a' + b + c = 9$:(9+k)+b+c=9
k+b+c=0
Since $k, b, c$ must all be non-negative, the only possible solution is $k=0, b=0, c=0$. This means $a' = 9, b = 0, c = 0$. (This corresponds to $a=10, b=0, c=0$, which is not a valid 3-digit number as $a$ must be a single digit). … - TG EAPCET 2023Set eng-2023-05-12-AN1 markMCQQ.If a group of six students including two particular students A and B stand in a row, then the probability of getting an arrangement in which A and B are separated by exactly one student in between them is (A) 152 (B) 154 (C) 156 (D) 158
›Reveal solutionSolution
The key idea is to treat A and B with exactly one fixed student between them as a rigid block of 3, then arrange the remaining 4 students. The probability is 154, which corresponds to option (B).
The problem asks for the probability that two specific students, A and B, are separated by exactly one other student when six students stand in a row. Probability here is simply the number of favorable arrangements divided by the total number of arrangements. The total is straightforward — 6! — but the favorable count needs careful handling: "exactly one student between A and B" means A and B are not adjacent, but have precisely one person sandwiched between them.
Think of it this way: if A and B must have exactly one student in between, then the three of them — A, that middle student, and B — form a unit where the middle person is fixed in position relative to A and B. But the middle student can be any of the other four students, and A and B can swap places. Once you decide who that middle student is, the trio behaves like a single "block" of three people with a fixed internal order (or two possible orders, since A and B can switch). The remaining three students are free to arrange themselves anywhere.
Let’s count step by step.
-
Total number of arrangements
Six distinct students can be arranged in a row in 6!=720 ways. This is our denominator.
-
Choose the student who sits between A and B
There are 4 other students (excluding A and B). Any one of them can be the middle person. So there are 4 choices for the student who stands between A and B.
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Arrange A and B around that middle student
Once the middle student is chosen, A and B can be placed on either side in 2!=2 ways: either A-left, B-right or B-left, A-right. So for each middle student, we have 2 internal arrangements of the trio.
-
Treat the trio as a single block
Now consider the trio (A, middle, B) as one "super-person." This block, together with the remaining 3 students (the ones not chosen as the middle), gives us 1+3=4 objects to arrange in a row. These 4 objects can be permuted in 4!=24 ways.
-
Multiply to get favorable arrangements
Favorable count = (choices for middle student) × (internal orders of A and B) × (arrangements of the 4 objects)
=4×2×24=192. …
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- TG EAPCET 2023Set eng-2023-05-13-FN1 markMCQQ.In the expansion of (x−2y+3z)5, if the total number of terms is p and the coefficient of x2yz2 is q, then pq= (A) 60 (B) 7180 (C) 72 (D) 71080
›Reveal solutionSolution
Number of terms p=(27)=21 and the coefficient q=−540, giving pq=7180 (option B).
Number of terms p: for a trinomial raised to the 5th power, the number of distinct terms is
p=(25+2)=(27)=21.
Coefficient q of x2yz2 (exponents 2+1+2=5), by the multinomial theorem on (x−2y+3z)5:
q=2!1!2!5!(1)2(−2)1(3)2=30⋅(−2)⋅9=−540.
Therefore
pq=21−540=−7180. …
- TG EAPCET 2023Set eng-2023-05-13-FN1 markMCQQ.If three unbiased dice are rolled simultaneously then the probability that all the three dice show distinct numbers is (A) 361 (B) 3635 (C) 95 (D) 94
›Reveal solutionSolution
The probability that all three dice show distinct numbers is the number of favorable outcomes (ordered triples with all different faces) divided by the total outcomes. That gives 636⋅5⋅4=216120=95, so the correct option is (C).
Concept & Intuition
When rolling three fair dice, each die is independent and has 6 equally likely outcomes. The total number of possible outcomes is 63=216. We want the event "all three numbers are different." A common mistake is to think about combinations (unordered sets), but dice are distinct objects (even if rolled together, we can label them Die 1, Die 2, Die 3). So we count ordered triples. The first die can be any of 6 numbers. The second must be different from the first — 5 choices. The third must be different from both — 4 choices. Multiply: 6×5×4=120 favorable outcomes. Probability = favorable / total.
Step-by-step reasoning
-
Total number of outcomes
Each die has 6 faces. Rolling three dice gives 6×6×6=63=216 equally likely ordered triples (e.g., (1,1,2) is different from (2,1,1)).
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Count favorable outcomes (all distinct)
- Choose the number on the first die: 6 options.
- For the second die, it must be different from the first: 5 options.
- For the third die, it must be different from both previous numbers: 4 options. So the number of ordered triples with all distinct faces is 6×5×4=120.
-
Compute probability
P(all distinct)=216120
Simplify the fraction: divide numerator and denominator by 24 (or stepwise by 2, then 2, then 3):
216÷24120÷24=95
- Match with options 95 corresponds to option (C). …
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- TG EAPCET 2023Set eng-2023-05-14-AN1 markMCQQ.The number of ways in which 6 men and 4 women can be seated around a table so that a particular man and a particular woman never sit adjacent to each other is (A) 9! (B) 7×8! (C) 8×8! (D) 6×7!
›Reveal solutionSolution
Total circular seatings =9!; those with the particular man and woman adjacent =2⋅8!; never adjacent =9!−2⋅8!=7×8!.
Ten people (6 men +4 women) around a round table can be seated in (10−1)!=9! ways. …
- TG EAPCET 2022Set eng-2022-07-18-AN1 markMCQQ.The exponent of 6 in 72! is (A) 34 (B) 70 (C) 17 (D) 35
›Reveal solutionSolution
The exponent of a composite number in a factorial is found by prime factorising it and then using Legendre’s formula on each prime factor, taking the floor of the minimum ratio. For 6=2×3 in 72!, the exponent is 34.
The key idea: when we ask for the exponent of a number like 6 in a factorial, we are really asking how many times 6 divides that factorial. Since 6 is composite, we cannot directly apply Legendre’s formula to it. Instead, we break 6 into its prime factors: 6=2×3. The exponent of 6 in 72! is the largest integer k such that 6k divides 72!, which means 2k and 3k both divide 72!. So k is limited by the smaller of the two exponents of 2 and 3 in 72!.
Let’s find those exponents step by step.
- Exponent of 2 in 72! Legendre’s formula: the exponent of a prime p in n! is
ep(n!)=⌊pn⌋+⌊p2n⌋+⌊p3n⌋+⋯
For p=2 and n=72:
⌊272⌋=36
⌊472⌋=18
⌊872⌋=9
⌊1672⌋=4
⌊3272⌋=2
⌊6472⌋=1
⌊12872⌋=0
Summing: 36+18+9+4+2+1=70.
So e2(72!)=70.
- Exponent of 3 in 72! For p=3:
⌊372⌋=24
⌊972⌋=8
⌊2772⌋=2
⌊8172⌋=0
Sum: 24+8+2=34.
So e3(72!)=34.
- Finding the exponent of 6 …
- TG EAPCET 2022Set eng-2022-07-19-AN1 markMCQQ.The number of ways of arranging the letters of the word LINEAR so that the letters N and R do not come together and E and A come together is (A) 80 (B) 60 (C) 10 (D) 144
›Reveal solutionSolution
Glue E and A into one block (E,A together), giving 5!⋅2=240 arrangements; subtract the 96 in which N and R are also together, leaving 240−96=144 — option (D).
The word LINEAR has 6 distinct letters: L, I, N, E, A, R. We need E and A together and N and R apart.
- Force E and A together. Treat [EA] as a single block, so there are 5 units to arrange: L, I, N, R, [EA]. These give 5! orders, and the block has 2 internal orders (EA or AE): 5!×2=120×2=240. …
- TG EAPCET 2022Set eng-2022-07-19-FN1 markMCQQ.If two cards are drawn simultaneously from a well shuffled pack of 52 cards, then the probability of getting a card having a prime number and a card having a number which is a multiple of 5 is (A) 66394 (B) 66362 (C) 66330 (D) 66364
›Reveal solutionSolution
16 prime-numbered cards and 8 multiple-of-5 cards; favourable =16×8−4=124 out of (252)=1326, i.e. 66362.
Identify the cards.
- Prime numbers on cards: 2,3,5,7 → 4 ranks ×4 suits =16 cards.
- Multiples of 5: 5,10 → 2 ranks ×4 suits =8 cards.
The four 5s belong to both sets (a 5 is prime and a multiple of 5).
Favourable selections (one prime card and one multiple-of-5 card): …
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