Question

There are four wires which need to be attached to a circuit board. A robotic device will attach the wires. The wires can be attached in any order, and the production manager wishes to determine which order would be fastest for the robot to use. Use the multiplication rule of counting to determine the number of possible sequences of assembly that must be tested. (Hint: There are four choices for the first wire, three for the second wire, two for the third wire, etc. Enter an exact number.)

Answer 1

Number of choices for First wire = 4

Number of choices for Second wire = 3

Number of choices for Third wire = 2

Number of choices for Fourth wire = 1

So,

by multiplication rule of counting:

The number of possible squences of assembly that must be tested = 4 X 3 X 2 X 1 = 24

So,

Answer is:

24