Question

Visible Implant Elastomer Tags (VIEs) are used to mark field-caught fish, amphibians, and other animals so that they can later be identified. The VIEs is injected beneath translucent tissue and remains externally visible. A salamander researcher is creating tags by injecting VIEs animals in 4 body locations, using 4 colors (orange, blue, yellow, and red).

a.   How many different tags can be created?

b.   How many tags can be created if only one body location is used?

c.   How many tags can be created that have blue in the right ventral position?

d.   How many tags can be created if colors cannot be repeated?

Answer 1

(a) Number of different tags that can be created = = 256

(b) If only one body location is used, number of tags that can be created = 4

(c) If the color in the right ventral position is fixed as blue, number of tags that can be created = = 64

(d) Number of tags that can be created if colors cannot be repeated = 4! = 24