How many different product codes are there?

Question

Assume that product codes are formed from the letters X, Y, S, W, R, and U, and consist of 5 not necessarily distinct letters arranged one after the other. For example, XXRRY is a product code.

Answer 1

Since any of the letters can be used in all five positions, you multiply

 

6×6×6×6×6=7776

 

 

Answer 2

A code has 5 positions and each position can be occupied by any one of the 6 given letters regardless of the other positions. Thus, the different product codes are 6x6x6x6x6 = 6^5 = 7776.