Questions: When ordering a certain type of computer, there are four choices of hard drive, five choices for the amount of memory, four choices of video card, and three choices of monitor. In how many ways can a computer be ordered? The total number of ways a computer can be ordered is .

When ordering a certain type of computer, there are four choices of hard drive, five choices for the amount of memory, four choices of video card, and three choices of monitor. In how many ways can a computer be ordered?

The total number of ways a computer can be ordered is .

Transcript text: When ordering a certain type of computer, there are four choices of hard drive, five choices for the amount of memory, four choices of video card, and three choices of monitor. In how many ways can a computer be ordered? The total number of ways a computer can be ordered is $\square$ .

Solution

Solution Steps

Step 1: Identify the number of choices for each component

Number of choices for the hard drive (H): 4
Number of choices for the memory (M): 5
Number of choices for the video card (V): 4
Number of choices for the monitor (C): 3

Step 2: Apply the Rule of Product

The Rule of Product in combinatorics states that if there are $H$ ways to choose a hard drive, $M$ ways to choose memory, $V$ ways to choose a video card, and $C$ ways to choose a monitor, then the total number of ways to order a computer with one of each component is given by the product $H \times M \times V \times C$. Thus, the total number of configurations is calculated as: $H \times M \times V \times C = 4 \times 5 \times 4 \times 3 = 240$.