LESSON: Permutation Probabilities

You've learned how to calculate permutations now. Remember that permutations keep track of the total number of possible ways to arrange n objects in order. 

For example, if I have three paint colors, red, yellow and blue, there are 6 different ways I could choose a paint color for my walls and a different paint color for my ceiling.

Permutations help us keep track of the total number of possibilities when ordering objects. This will come in handy when we're asked to find the probability of a certain order occurring.

For example, what would the probability be of randomly selecting red paint for my walls and yellow paint for my ceiling? There is ONE way to choose red then yellow out of SIX total possibilities. So the probability would be: $$\frac{1}{6} = 16.7%$$.

Watch the following lesson video to review larger permutation calculations and how to use them to find probabilities: