On Sunday, January 29, 2012 1:45:57 PM UTC-5, Sqwertz wrote:
> On Sun, 29 Jan 2012 02:40:46 +0000 (UTC), tert in seattle wrote:
>
> > how many four cheese combinations are there anyway?
>
> Assuming 7 Italian cheeses with no repetitions allowed, the cheeses
> being: Provolone, Mozzarella, Asiago, Fontina, Parmesan, Romano, and
> Gorgonzola (dulce) there would be 35 permutations (I believe the
> correct word is "permutation", not "combination" - somebody will
> correct me if I'm wrong).
[list snipped]

You are indeed wrong. Permutations are alternate arrangements. For example,
1234
1243
1324
1342
1423
1432
are the six permutations of 1, 2, 3, and 4 that begin with 1. There are six more permutations that begin with each of the other three digits, making 24 in all. The number of permutations of n distinct objects is n!.

Jerry
--
Never look back unless you are planning to go that way.
Henry David Thoreau