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  • Dec 12, 2006, 04:41 PM
    kisha8
    Math
    Find the number of different arrangements for the letters in the word Mississippi
  • Dec 13, 2006, 12:38 AM
    Capuchin
    you have 11 letters and 11 places.

    Therefore, for the first letter you have a choice of 11 letters, then for the second letter you have a choice of 10 letters, for rthe third you have a choice of 9, etc

    So the number of possible arrangements are 11x10x9x... x2x1
    Which is 11!

    However, you also have double letters, but you don't say whether mis1s2is3s4ippi is the same as mis4s3is2s1ippi (different s's are numbered). Are these the same or different for this question?
  • Dec 13, 2006, 06:35 AM
    asterisk_man
    FYI: 11! = 39916800 but I don't think that's the answer the OP is looking for. I think we are to treat the same letters as the same.

    I found this page which addresses this exact question:
    http://mathforum.org/library/drmath/view/56183.html

    The important info from that page is:
    1) There are 11 letters.

    4 s's 4 I's 2 p's 1 m.

    Code:

                                  11!
    Number of arrangements =  ----------  =  34650
                              4! 4! 2!

  • Dec 13, 2006, 07:08 AM
    Capuchin
    Asterisk man, asterisk man, doing the things an asterisk can, they have a fight, asterisk wins, asterisk man. Bahdubbadubbadubbadubbadubbaduh-bah-bah.
  • Dec 13, 2006, 08:05 AM
    asterisk_man
    Nice!

    That's going in my signature!

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