A committee of 5 members is to be formed out of 3 trainees, 4 professors and 6 research associates. In how many different ways can this be done, if the committee should have 4 professors and 1 research associate or all 3 trainees and 2 professors?
Aptitude
Permutation and Combination
Difficulty: Medium
Choose an option
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A12
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B13
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C24
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D52
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ENone of these
Answer
Correct Answer: 12
Explanation
### Concept & Addition Principle
Use combinations $^nC_r$ to select group members. The word "and" indicates multiplication between selections, while "or" indicates addition between separate, mutually exclusive cases.
### Step-by-Step Solution
1. **Case 1: 4 professors AND 1 research associate.**
Select 4 professors out of 4: $^4C_4 = 1$ way.
Select 1 research associate out of 6: $^6C_1 = 6$ ways.
Ways for Case 1 = $1 \times 6 = 6$.
2. **Case 2: 3 trainees AND 2 professors.**
Select 3 trainees out of 3: $^3C_3 = 1$ way.
Select 2 professors out of 4: $^4C_2 = \frac{4 \times 3}{2 \times 1} = 6$ ways.
Ways for Case 2 = $1 \times 6 = 6$.
3. **Total Ways (Case 1 OR Case 2):**
Total = $6 + 6 = 12$ ways.
### Exam Strategy & Shortcut
Recognize that selecting all members of a specific subgroup (like 4 professors out of 4) is always just 1 way ($^nC_n = 1$). This immediately simplifies the multiplication to $1 \times 6$ for both cases.
### Common Pitfall
Multiplying the results of Case 1 and Case 2 instead of adding them. Remember: OR means ADD.
### Final Answer
Therefore, the correct answer is **12**.