How many different ways can 5 people--A,B,C,D and E-- sit in a row at a movie theater if (a) A and B must sit together; Then we have 3 single people and 1 pair of people to seat: (AB), C, D, E That's 4 things to place in a row, 4P4 or 4! or 4*3*2*1 or 24 ways to seat these. But the pair could also be in reverse order. So we also have these 4 things to place in a row: (BA), C, D, E That's 4 more things to place in a row, which is also 4P4 or 4! or 4*3*2*1 or 24 more ways to seat these. So the total is 4!*2 = 24*2 or 48 ways. (b) C must sit to the right of, but not necessarily next to B; We can choose a pair of seats 5C2 or 10 ways, each time putting A left of C. For each of those 10 ways, there are 3x2x1 or 3P3 or 3! of 6 ways to seat the other three people in the remaining 3 seats. So that's 5C2*3! = 10*6 = 60 ways. (c) D and E will not sit next to to each other? All possible seatings are 5!, and from that we subtract the number of ways D and E can sit together. But that is the same as the number of ways A and B can sit together, which we have found to be 48 ways in part (a). So that is 5!-48 = 120-48 = 72 ways. Edwin