Bunuel
Jill bought 6 glasses for her kitchen - white, red, black, grey, yellow, and blue - and would like to display 3 of them on the shelf next to each other. If she decides that a red and a blue glass cannot be displayed together at the same time, in how many different ways can Jill arrange the glasses?
A. 24
B. 48
C. 96
D. 120
E. 720
We can use the equation:
Number of ways with red and blue glasses not together = total number of arrangements - red and blue glasses together.
Since the order of the glasses is important, we use permutations. Thus, the total number of arrangements is:
6P3 = 6!/(6-3)! = 6!/3! = 6 x 5 x 4 = 120
Since there 4 ways to choose a glass (other than red and blue) along with the red and blue glasses, and once three glasses are picked, there are 3! ways to arrange them, the number of arrangements with red and blue glasses together in a display is:
4 x 3! = 4 x 6 = 24
Thus, the number of ways with red and blue glass not together in a display is:
120 - 24 = 96
Answer: C