Questions: You need to arrange four of your favorite books along a small shelf. How many different ways can you arrange the books, assuming that the order of the books makes a difference to you?
ways
(Type a whole number.)
Transcript text: You need to arrange four of your favorite books along a small shelf. How many different ways can you arrange the books, assuming that the order of the books makes a difference to you? $\square$
ways
(Type a whole number.)
Solution
Solution Steps
Solution
To find the number of different ways to arrange \(n\) unique items along a shelf,
we use the factorial function, denoted as \(n!\).
Step 1: Understanding the Problem
Given \(n = 4\) unique items, we seek the total number of unique arrangements possible.
Step 2: Applying the Factorial Function
The factorial of \(n\), \(n!\), is the product of all positive integers less than or equal to \(n\).
Thus, \(n! = n \times (n-1) \times ... \times 1\).
Calculation
For \(n = 4\), \(n! = 24\).
Final Answer:
The number of different ways to arrange \(n = 4\) unique items along a shelf is \(n! = 24\).