Consider the arrangements of husbands and wives in the row. For example, H1 W1 H2 W2 H3 W3 H4 W4
is different from W1 H1 W2 H2 W3 H3 W4 H4. In all, for a given permutation of couples, there are 2^4 = 16 ways that the people can be seated. There are two ways to choose which spouse in couple 1 gets the seat on the left, two ways for couple 2 to be seated, and so forth. Then, (16 seatings of couples per permutation) times (24 permutations) = 384. > Four married couple have purchased eight seats in a row for a football game. > In how many different ways can they be seated if > (a) each couple is to sit together? > > Well since there are eight seats that means two hafta be seated together, so > that means there are 4 ways of seating the first couple, 3 the next, > basically 4! which gives 24, but the answer in the back is 384. I don't see > where my logic is flawed. . . ================================================================= Instructions for joining and leaving this list, remarks about the problem of INAPPROPRIATE MESSAGES, and archives are available at: . http://jse.stat.ncsu.edu/ . =================================================================
