Math Problem Statement

How many permutations of the letters ABCDEFG contain the strings ABC and CDEF?

Solution

To solve this, let's break down the problem.

We are given that the permutations of the letters ABCDEFGABCDEFG must contain the substrings "ABC" and "CDEF".

Step 1: Treat the substrings as single blocks

  • The string "ABC" appears as a single block.
  • The string "CDEF" also appears as a single block.

However, we see that "ABC" and "CDEF" share the letter "C", so when we combine them, we need to account for this overlap.

Thus, the blocks are:

  1. "ABC"\text{"ABC"} (a block of three letters).
  2. "DEF"\text{"DEF"} (a block of three letters, since "C" is already accounted for).

Step 2: Treat the remaining letters

After accounting for "ABC" and "DEF", the only letter left in the set {A,B,C,D,E,F,G}\{ A, B, C, D, E, F, G \} is GG.

Step 3: Permute the blocks

Now we have three units to permute:

  1. The block "ABC"\text{"ABC"}.
  2. The block "DEF"\text{"DEF"}.
  3. The letter GG.

We are essentially permuting these 3 items.

Step 4: Compute the number of permutations

There are 3!=63! = 6 ways to permute the blocks "ABC", "DEF", and GG.

Final Answer:

There are 66 permutations of the letters ABCDEFGABCDEFG that contain the substrings "ABC" and "CDEF".


Would you like further clarification on any part of the solution?

Here are 5 related questions:

  1. How many permutations contain the strings "AB" and "DE" as blocks?
  2. What if there were no overlapping letters between the blocks "ABC" and "DEF"?
  3. How many permutations contain only the string "ABC" as a block?
  4. What if we allow other letters to be repeated within the permutation?
  5. How many permutations of the letters "ABCDEFG" exist without any restrictions?

Tip: When solving problems with overlapping substrings, always account for shared letters carefully to avoid overcounting or undercounting blocks.

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Math Problem Analysis

Mathematical Concepts

Combinatorics
Permutations
Block Permutations

Formulas

n! (factorial) for permutations

Theorems

Permutation of Blocks

Suitable Grade Level

Grades 10-12