A photographer wants to arrange 6 people in a row for a portrait. However, 2 of the people insist on standing next to each other. How many different arrangements are possible?
Options
A
1,440
B
480
C
720
D
240
Answer & Analysis
Answer
D
Analysis
Question Analysis
This question involves a special - case permutation problem where a group of objects (in this case, people) have a specific positional constraint.
The main focus is on treating the two people who want to stand together as a single entity and then applying the permutation formula, while also accounting for the internal arrangement of this combined entity.
Key Concept Explanation
When dealing with objects that have a fixed relative position (like two people standing next to each other), we can consider them as one unit for the initial permutation calculation.
Then, we multiply by the number of ways to arrange the objects within that unit.
The basic permutation formula for arranging distinct objects is .
Step - by - Step Solution
Treat the 2 people who want to stand together as one unit. So now, instead of arranging 6 individual people, we are arranging units.
The number of ways to arrange these 5 units in a row is .
Calculate :
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