Word problem

Question

Vic has a choice of three gates to go trough, three different outside doors, two staircases to the second floor and two different ladders to the attic. How many ways does Vic has to get from the street to the attic?

Answer 1

Hi Victor: You apply the "mn" rule repeatedly. If a system has two steps, and if the first can be completed in m ways and the second in n, the total number of ways the system can be completed is mn. (if a man has 5 neckties and 3 jackets, he has 15 tie-jacket combinations). Here the answer is 3x3x2x2 = 36. Dattaprabhakar (Dr. G.)