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sahil7389
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Hi Bunuel,
since 3 males are identical to each other and 3 females are identical to each other, should we not divide the repititions?
Bunuel
sahil7389
A pod of 6 dolphins always swims single file, with 3 females at the front and 3 males in the rear. In how many different arrangements can the dolphins swim?

A. 20
B. 36
C. 40
D. 18
E. 54

3 females at the front can be arranged in 3! ways;
3 males at the rear can also be arranged in 3! ways.

To get the total number of arrangements multiply: total = 3!*3! = 36.

Answer: B.
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Hi Bunuel,
since 3 males are identical to each other and 3 females are identical to each other, should we not divide the repititions?
Bunuel
sahil7389
A pod of 6 dolphins always swims single file, with 3 females at the front and 3 males in the rear. In how many different arrangements can the dolphins swim?

A. 20
B. 36
C. 40
D. 18
E. 54

3 females at the front can be arranged in 3! ways;
3 males at the rear can also be arranged in 3! ways.

To get the total number of arrangements multiply: total = 3!*3! = 36.

Answer: B.

If the males and females were indistinguishable, the answer would simply be 1: FFFMMM. However, since each dolphin is unique, the male and female dolphins are distinguishable. Therefore, we should account for all arrangements of FFF, which is 3!, and all arrangements of MMM, which is also 3!, giving a final answer of 3! * 3!.

Hope it's clear.
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