Question

In how many ways, can the letters of the word PENCIL be arranged so that

1) N is always next to E

2) N and E are always together.

Answer 1

Hi!

Here is the answer to your question.

There are 6 letters in the word ‘PENCIL’.

(1)

Consider EN as one letter. Now 5 letters (P, C, I, L, EN) can be arranged in ⁵P₅ = 5! = 120 ways.

Hence, total number of ways in which N is always next to E is 120.

(2)

Consider EN as one letter. Now, 5 letters can be arranged in ⁵P₅ = 5! = 120 ways

E and N can arrange among themselves in 2! = 2 ways.

Hence, the total number of ways in which N and E are always together = 120 × 2 = 240.

Cheers!