Class 11 Maths NCERT Solutions Chapter 6 Ex 6.1 – Permutations and Combinations | Boundless Maths
Ex 6.1 Class 11 Maths NCERT Solutions · Chapter 6

Class 11 Maths NCERT Solutions Chapter 6 Ex 6.1 – Permutations and Combinations

Free, step-by-step Class 11 Maths NCERT Solutions for Chapter 6 Ex 6.1 — all 6 questions solved, covering the Fundamental Principle of Counting: forming numbers, codes and signals, with and without repetition allowed.

Every question in this exercise comes back to one idea: if one stage of a task can be done in m ways, and a following stage in n ways, the whole task can be done in m\times n ways. The only real skill being tested is filling vacant places, one at a time, in the correct order — and being careful about whether a choice can repeat, and whether any position (like a leading digit, or a units digit that must be even) has a restriction the others don't.

6Questions
Easy–MediumDifficulty Mix
2026-27CBSE Syllabus

Class 11 Maths NCERT Solutions Chapter 6 Ex 6.1 — All 6 Questions

Outcome 1 Outcome 2 Outcome 3 Outcome 4 Outcome 5 Outcome 6 Stage 1 3 ways 2 ways
The Fundamental Principle of Counting: 3 ways for the first stage, followed by 2 ways for the second, gives 3 × 2 = 6 total outcomes — one path through the tree for every outcome.
1

How many 3-digit numbers can be formed from the digits 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 assuming that (i) repetition of the digits is allowed? (ii) repetition of the digits is not allowed?

Easy +
Solution

A 3-digit number has three places to fill — hundreds, tens and units — each from the 5 given digits.

(i) Repetition allowed

Each of the 3 places can be filled in 5 ways, since a digit used once can be used again.

5\times5\times5=125

(i) 125 such 3-digit numbers can be formed.
(ii) Repetition not allowed

The hundreds place can be filled in 5 ways. Once that digit is used, the tens place can be filled in only 4 ways (one digit is gone), and the units place in 3 ways.

5\times4\times3=60

(ii) 60 such 3-digit numbers can be formed.
2

How many 3-digit even numbers can be formed from the digits 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 if the digits can be repeated?

Medium +
Solution

A 3-digit number is even exactly when its units digit is even, so the units place must be filled first, from the restricted choices.

Units place: only 2, 4 or 6 can go here, so there are 3 ways.

Tens place: any of the 6 digits can go here (repetition allowed), so there are 6 ways.

Hundreds place: any of the 6 digits can go here as well, so there are 6 ways.

By the multiplication principle, the required number of 3-digit even numbers is:

6\times6\times3=108

108 such 3-digit even numbers can be formed.
3

How many 4-letter code can be formed using the first 10 letters of the English alphabet, if no letter can be repeated?

Easy +
Solution

There are 4 vacant places to fill, one for each letter of the code, using the first 10 letters of the alphabet (A to J), with no letter repeated.

The 1st place can be filled in 10 ways. Since repetition is not allowed, the 2nd place can be filled in 9 ways, the 3rd place in 8 ways, and the 4th place in 7 ways.

By the multiplication principle, the required number of 4-letter codes is:

10\times9\times8\times7=5040

5040 such 4-letter codes can be formed.
4

How many 5-digit telephone numbers can be constructed using the digits 0 to 9 if each number starts with 67 and no digit appears more than once?

Medium +
Solution

The first two digits of every telephone number are fixed as 6 and 7, so only the remaining 3 places need to be filled, using the 8 digits left over (0–9 excluding 6 and 7), with no digit repeated.

The 3rd place can be filled in 8 ways. The 4th place can then be filled in 7 ways, and the 5th place in 6 ways.

By the multiplication principle, the required number of telephone numbers is:

8\times7\times6=336

336 such 5-digit telephone numbers can be constructed.
5

A coin is tossed 3 times and the outcomes are recorded. How many possible outcomes are there?

Easy +
Solution

Each toss of the coin can result in either Head or Tail, so each toss has 2 possible outcomes, independent of the other tosses.

By the multiplication principle, for 3 tosses in succession, the total number of possible outcomes is:

2\times2\times2=2^3=8

8 possible outcomes: HHH, HHT, HTH, HTT, THH, THT, TTH, TTT.
6

Given 5 flags of different colours, how many different signals can be generated if each signal requires the use of 2 flags, one below the other?

Easy +
Solution

A signal is made by filling 2 vacant places, one below the other, using flags from the 5 available flags of different colours, with no flag repeated in the same signal.

The upper place can be filled by any one of the 5 flags, in 5 ways. Once that flag is used, the lower place can be filled by any of the remaining 4 flags, in 4 ways.

By the multiplication principle, the required number of signals is:

5\times4=20

20 different signals can be generated.

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Common Questions

Class 11 Maths NCERT Solutions Chapter 6 Ex 6.1 — FAQs

How many questions are there in Exercise 6.1?
Exercise 6.1 has 6 questions, all based on the Fundamental Principle of Counting — forming numbers and codes from digits or letters, counting coin-toss outcomes, and counting flag signals, with and without repetition allowed.
What is the Fundamental Principle of Counting?
If an event can occur in m different ways, following which another event can occur in n different ways, then the two events together can occur in m × n different ways, in the given order. This is also called the multiplication principle, and it extends to any number of events performed in succession — for three events occurring in m, n and p ways respectively, the total is m × n × p.
Where can I find the official NCERT textbook for this chapter?
Permutations and Combinations is Chapter 6 of the NCERT Class 11 Mathematics textbook, published by the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) and prescribed by CBSE. You can download the official textbook PDF directly from ncert.nic.in, NCERT's official website — the solutions on this page follow the exercise exactly as it appears there.

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