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Printjmc
counting and probability intermediate
Problem
In how many ways can the letters of the word BANANA be rearranged such that the new word does not begin with a B?
Solution
The first thing to do is place the B since it has a restriction on it. We can put it anywhere but the first place, so we have 5 options. Once we have done that, we just need to place the two N's and then the rest of the spots will just be A's. We have 5 spots left, so there are 5 options for where to put the first N and 4 options for where to put the second N. However, the two N's are identical, which means that we've counted each new word twice. So our answer is .
Final answer
50