SOLUTION: This exercise refers to a standard deck of playing cards. Assume that 5 cards are randomly chosen from the deck. How many hands contain exactly 3 jacks?

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Question 1132949: This exercise refers to a standard deck of playing cards. Assume that 5 cards are randomly chosen from the deck.
How many hands contain exactly 3 jacks?

Found 2 solutions by math_helper, rothauserc:
Answer by math_helper(2461) About Me  (Show Source):
You can put this solution on YOUR website!
Using notation nCr = n!/((n-r)!r!)

The number of three of kind hands (where three cards match and the other two do not match) is:
+%2813C1%29%284C3%29%2812C2%29%284C1%29%5E2+=+13%2A4%2A66%2A16+=+54912+

The factors are:
(selection of rank)*(#arrangments of three matching cards)*(selection of nonmatching two cards)*(number of arrangements of those two)

The number of full houses (three matching and other two cards match):
+%2813C1%29%284C3%29%2812C1%29%284C2%29+=+13%2A4%2A12%2A6+=+3744+

Thus the total number of hands where three cards match, regardless of the remaining two cards is 54912+3744 = 58656

But, the problem only asks about jacks, which means the above number must be divided by (13C1) since the rank is chosen for you:

58656/13 = 4512


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The number of hands with exactly three jacks is +highlight%284512%29+
(This also answers the question about how many hands have exactly three queens, as the rank does not matter).
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Thanks tutor rothauserc! Yes, that approach is much more direct! I had poker hands in mind and went the round-about way. For the student, the first factor in tutor rothauserc's solution is the number arrangments of 3 jacks out of 4, and the 2nd factor is the number of arrangements of the remaining 2 cards out of 48. What I like about this website is I get to learn too :-)


Answer by rothauserc(4718) About Me  (Show Source):
You can put this solution on YOUR website!
A standard deck of playing cards consists of 52 cards
:
nCr = n! /(r! * (n-r)!)
:
4C3 * 48C2 = 4512 hands contain exactly 3 jacks
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