Question

There are 23 golfers participating in a weekend tournament. Prizes are awarded to the first, second, third, and fourth place finishers. The number of different ways these four places can be filled by those playing over the weekend is ________.

Answer 1

Answer: 8855 ways

Step-by-step explanation:

To select the number of ways a particular limited number of position can be filled with a larger number of possible options available, the combination formula for selection is used. This formula for example determines the possible number of ways to choose r number of items from a larger possible options of "n" number.

This combination formula is denoted by:

nCr = n!/(n-r)! × r!

If there are 23 golfers with just 4 slots available, then number of ways possible =

23C4 = 23!/(23-4)! × 4! = 8855 ways.