How many different outfits can he select?

Question

Tom has 4 pairs of pants, 5 different colored dress shirts, 4 sports jackets, 11 ties, and 1 pair of dress shoes in his closet. How many different outfits can he select?

Answer 1

To begin solving, think of just the pants and the shirts;

each of the 4 pair of pants can be paired with one of the 5 shirts, giving you 4*5= 20 combinations.

 

Therefore, to apply this type of solution to all: 4 pair of pants, 5 dress shirts, the 4 sports jacket, 11 ties, and 1 pair of dress shoes,

(4)(5)(4)(11)(1)=880

there are 880 possible combinations.