Problem:
Ms. Hamilton's eighth-grade class wants to participate in the annual three-person-team basketball tournament.
Lance, Sally, Joy and Fred are chosen for the team. In how many ways can the three starters be chosen?
Answer Choices:
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
Solution:
When three players start, one is the alternate. Because any of the four players might be the alternate, there are four ways to select a starting team: Lance-Sally-Joy, Lance-Sally-Fred, Lance-Joy-Fred and Sally-Joy-Fred.
Answer: .
The problems on this page are the property of the MAA's American Mathematics Competitions