Math Problem Statement

Find the number of ways to rescramble the word ROBLOX by reordering at least some of its letters in new orders.

Solution

To solve the problem of finding the number of ways to rescramble the word "ROBLOX" by reordering at least some of its letters, we need to focus on the permutations of its letters. The word "ROBLOX" consists of six letters, where the letter "O" appears twice, and the other letters (R, B, L, X) are unique.

Step-by-Step Solution:

  1. Total letters in ROBLOX: 6 (R, O, B, L, O, X).

  2. Permutations of all the letters: Since the letter "O" repeats twice, the formula for the number of distinct permutations of these letters is:

    6!2!=7202=360\frac{6!}{2!} = \frac{720}{2} = 360

    Where 6!6! is the factorial of 6 (the total number of letters) and 2!2! accounts for the repetition of the letter "O."

  3. Conclusion: The total number of ways to rescramble all six letters of the word "ROBLOX" is 360.

If you want to consider partial rearrangements (not using all letters), it would be a different problem involving combinations of subsets of the letters. Let me know if you'd like more details or if this satisfies the problem. Would you like more clarification on any part of this solution?

Here are five additional questions to expand your understanding:

  1. How would the formula change if there were more repeated letters?
  2. What is the permutation formula for words with no repeated letters?
  3. How do you calculate permutations for subsets of letters?
  4. What are factorials, and how do they relate to permutations?
  5. How can combinations be used alongside permutations in problems like this?

Tip: When dealing with permutations of words with repeated letters, always divide by the factorial of the number of repetitions to avoid overcounting duplicate arrangements.

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Math Problem Analysis

Mathematical Concepts

Permutations
Factorials
Combinatorics

Formulas

Permutation formula for repeated elements: n! / k! where k is the count of repeated elements.

Theorems

Fundamental counting principle

Suitable Grade Level

Grades 8-10