Question

The game of Connex contains one 4-unit piece, two identical 3-unit pieces, three identical 2-unit pieces and four identical 1-unit pieces. How many different arrangements of pieces will make a 10-unit segment

Answer 1

Answer: 277 ways

Step-by-step explanation:

Let’s start bycreating 10-unit pieces using the 4-unit piece.

The arrangements are:

1). 4-3-3 (3 permutations)

2). 4-3-2-1 = 4! = 24 permutations.

3). 4-3-1-1-1 (5*[4!/(3!1!)]

= 5*4

= 20permutations

4). 4-2-2-2 (4 permutations)

5). 4-2-2-1-1 (5 *[4!/(2!2!)]

= 5*6

= 30 permutations

6). 4-2-1-1-1-1(6*[5!/(4!1!)]

= 6*5

= 30 permutations

Let’s-consider the arrangements using one or more3-unit pieces and no 4-unit piece:

7). 3-3-2-2 (4!/(2!2!)

8). 3-3-2-1-1 (5*(4!/(2!2!)

= 5*6

= 30 permutations.

9). 3-3-1-1-1-1 (6!/(4!2!) = 0

10). 3-2-2-2-1 (5*4!/(3!1!)

= 5*4

= 20permutations

11). 3-2-2-1-1-1 (6*5!/(3!2!)

= 6*10

= 60 permutations

Finally we would look at the arrangements using only 1-and 2-unit pieces:

12). 2-2-2-1-1-1-1 (7!/(4!3!)

= 35 permutations

add them all up:

(3 + 24 + 20 + 4) + (30 + 30 + 6 + 30) + (15 + 20 + 60 + 35)

=51 + 96 + 130

= 277ways