Alec0
Bunuel could you please help us understand this one?
A shop sells 5 different types of sweets. In how many different ways a total of 8 sweets can be purchased?(A) 125
(B) 495
(C) 795
(D) 840
(E) 930
We have 5 different types of sweets: a, b, c, d, and e.
"Stars and Bars" method:Imagine 8 stars in a row. To divide these stars among 5 types of sweets, we need 4 bars to create 5 separate sections. For example:
***|**|*|*|* represents purchasing 3 of sweet a, 2 of sweet b, 1 of sweet c, 1 of sweet d, and 1 of sweet e.
||****|**|** represents purchasing 0 of sweet a, 0 of sweet b, 4 of sweet c, 2 of sweet d, and 2 of sweet e.
|||*******| represents purchasing 0 of sweet a, 0 of sweet b, 0 of sweet c, 8 of sweet d, and 0 of sweet e.
Thus, the problem becomes arranging these 8 identical stars and 4 identical bars in a row, which is calculated as 12!/(8! * 4!) = 495.
Answer: B.
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