This document introduces the fundamental counting principle for determining the number of possible outcomes when performing multiple independent tasks. It states that if there are m ways to perform one task and n ways to perform another, unrelated task, the total number of ways to perform both tasks is m n. It provides examples of applying this principle to problems involving arrangements of objects and letters. The document also covers factorial notation and examples involving probability.
2. Introduction
This is a principle we use in order to determine the number of
different ways that something(s) can be done.
The Fundamental Counting Principle
If there are m ways to perform a certain task, and there are n
ways to perform another task, then the total number of ways
in which both tasks can be performed is