25. Playlist A band is preparing a setlist of 21 songs for a concert. How many different ways can the band play the first six songs?
Table of contents
- 1. Intro to Stats and Collecting Data55m
- 2. Describing Data with Tables and Graphs1h 55m
- 3. Describing Data Numerically1h 45m
- 4. Probability2h 16m
- 5. Binomial Distribution & Discrete Random Variables2h 33m
- 6. Normal Distribution and Continuous Random Variables1h 38m
- 7. Sampling Distributions & Confidence Intervals: Mean1h 53m
- 8. Sampling Distributions & Confidence Intervals: Proportion1h 12m
- 9. Hypothesis Testing for One Sample2h 19m
- 10. Hypothesis Testing for Two Samples3h 22m
- 11. Correlation1h 6m
- 12. Regression1h 4m
- 13. Chi-Square Tests & Goodness of Fit1h 20m
- 14. ANOVA1h 0m
4. Probability
Counting
Problem 3.4.37
Textbook Question
37. Water Pollution An environmental agency is analyzing water samples from 80 lakes for pollution. Five of the lakes have dangerously high levels of dioxin. Six lakes are randomly selected from the sample. Use technology to find how many ways one polluted lake and five nonpolluted lakes can be chosen.

1
Step 1: Understand the problem. We are tasked with finding the number of ways to select 1 polluted lake (out of 5) and 5 non-polluted lakes (out of 75) from a total of 80 lakes. This is a combination problem because the order of selection does not matter.
Step 2: Recall the formula for combinations, which is given by: , where n is the total number of items, and r is the number of items to choose.
Step 3: Calculate the number of ways to choose 1 polluted lake from the 5 polluted lakes using the combination formula: . This represents the number of ways to select 1 polluted lake.
Step 4: Calculate the number of ways to choose 5 non-polluted lakes from the 75 non-polluted lakes using the combination formula: . This represents the number of ways to select 5 non-polluted lakes.
Step 5: Multiply the results from Step 3 and Step 4 to find the total number of ways to select 1 polluted lake and 5 non-polluted lakes. The final expression is: .

This video solution was recommended by our tutors as helpful for the problem above
Video duration:
4mPlay a video:
Was this helpful?
Key Concepts
Here are the essential concepts you must grasp in order to answer the question correctly.
Combinatorics
Combinatorics is a branch of mathematics dealing with combinations and permutations of objects. In this context, it helps determine the number of ways to select a specific number of items from a larger set, which is essential for calculating how many ways one polluted lake and five nonpolluted lakes can be chosen from the sample.
Probability
Probability is the measure of the likelihood that an event will occur. Understanding probability is crucial in this scenario as it allows the environmental agency to assess the chances of selecting a polluted lake among the total lakes sampled, which informs risk assessments related to water pollution.
Recommended video:
Introduction to Probability
Sampling Techniques
Sampling techniques refer to the methods used to select a subset of individuals or items from a larger population. In this case, the random selection of lakes is a sampling technique that ensures each lake has an equal chance of being chosen, which is important for the validity of the analysis regarding pollution levels.
Recommended video:
Sampling Distribution of Sample Proportion
Watch next
Master Introduction to Permutations with a bite sized video explanation from Patrick
Start learningRelated Videos
Related Practice
Textbook Question