Robinson Tuition
Grade 5 · Foundation and Higher · free GCSE maths worksheet

Product rule for counting

Counting combinations by multiplying.

24 original questions, 58 marks. Print the worksheet, mark it with the answers sheet, and use the solutions to see every step written out by hand.

Worksheet PDFWorked solutions PDFAnswers PDF

The questions

1

An ice cream van sells 7 flavours of ice cream and 4 different toppings.

Nadia chooses one flavour and one topping.

Work out the number of different combinations Nadia can choose.

2 marks
Show answer
28
2

Ola is choosing an outfit.

She has 3 shirts: red (R), blue (B) and green (G).

She has 2 pairs of shorts: black (K) and white (W).

List all the possible outfits Ola can choose. One outfit, RK, has been done for you.

2 marks
Show answer
RK, RW, BK, BW, GK, GW
3

A bistro menu has 5 starters, 8 main courses and 4 desserts.

Callum chooses one starter, one main course and one dessert.

Work out the number of different three-course meals Callum can choose.

2 marks
Show answer
160
4

A cafe sells 3 hot drinks: tea (T), coffee (C) and hot chocolate (H).

It sells 2 cakes: flapjack (F) and brownie (B).

Noah chooses one hot drink and one cake.

List all the possible combinations Noah can choose.

2 marks
Show answer
TF, TB, CF, CB, HF, HB
5

Imani has 5 tops, 4 pairs of trousers and 3 pairs of shoes.

She chooses one top, one pair of trousers and one pair of shoes.

Work out the number of different outfits she can choose.

2 marks
Show answer
60
6

There are 9 boys and 12 girls in a drama club.

One boy and one girl are to be chosen to present the end of term show.

Work out the number of different ways the pair can be chosen.

2 marks
Show answer
108
7

Bag A contains three cards numbered 1, 2 and 3.

Bag B contains two cards numbered 5 and 7.

Erin takes one card from bag A and one card from bag B.

Write down all the possible pairs of cards Erin can take.

2 marks
Show answer
(1, 5), (1, 7), (2, 5), (2, 7), (3, 5), (3, 7)
8

A pizzeria offers x different pizzas and 6 different side orders.

There are 54 different ways to choose one pizza and one side order.

Work out the value of x.

2 marks
Show answer
9
9

Ali throws a fair coin 3 times.

Each throw lands on heads (H) or tails (T).

List all the possible outcomes of the 3 throws. One outcome, HHH, has been done for you.

2 marks
Show answer
HHH, HHT, HTH, HTT, THH, THT, TTH, TTT
10

A 3-digit code is made using the digits 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5.

A digit cannot be used more than once in a code.

Work out the number of different codes.

2 marks
Show answer
60
11

A locker code is made up of one letter followed by two digits.

The letter is chosen from the 26 letters A to Z.

Each digit is chosen from 0 to 9, and digits may repeat.

Work out the number of different codes that are possible.

2 marks
Show answer
2600
12

A locker code is a letter followed by a prime number.

The letter is chosen from P, Q and R.

The prime number is chosen from 3 and 7.

List all the possible locker codes.

2 marks
Show answer
P3, P7, Q3, Q7, R3, R7
13

A cafe sells 6 different sandwiches and 3 different desserts, and also sells n different drinks.

A meal deal is one sandwich, one drink and one dessert.

There are 108 different meal deals.

Work out the value of n.

3 marks
Show answer
6
14

There are 14 netball teams in a league.

Each team plays every other team twice, once at home and once away.

Work out the total number of games played in the league.

2 marks
Show answer
182
15

Here are three digit cards.

2   5   8

Ravi uses two different cards each time to make two-digit numbers.

List all the two-digit numbers Ravi can make.

2 marks
Show answer
25, 28, 52, 58, 82, 85
16

8 runners take part in a race.

Gold, silver and bronze medals are awarded to the first, second and third runners.

Work out the number of different ways the three medals can be awarded.

3 marks
Show answer
336
17

There are 12 teams in a hockey league.

Every team plays every other team twice, once at home and once away.

Work out the total number of matches in the league.

3 marks
Show answer
132
18

There are 20 students in a chess club.

Two of the students are to be chosen to enter a doubles tournament as a pair.

Work out the number of different pairs that can be chosen.

2 marks
Show answer
190
19

A password has 1 letter from A to F, then 2 digits from 0 to 9, then 1 symbol from &, £ or %.

  1. Work out the number of different passwords if digits may be repeated.
  2. Work out the number of different passwords if the two digits must be different.
4 marks
Show answer
a) 1800 b) 1620
20

A sandwich shop offers a meal deal.

Customers choose one of 8 sandwiches, one of 5 packets of crisps and one of 3 drinks.

Kai says, "There are more than 100 different meal deals."

Show that Kai is correct.

3 marks
Show answer
8 x 5 x 3 = 120 and 120 > 100, so Kai is correct
21

Spinner A has three equal sections numbered 1, 2 and 3.

Spinner B has two equal sections numbered 4 and 5.

Both spinners are spun and the two numbers are multiplied together.

List all the possible products.

2 marks
Show answer
4, 5, 8, 10, 12, 15
22

A 3-digit number is made using the digits 0 to 9.

The first digit cannot be 0, and no digit can be used more than once.

Work out the number of different 3-digit numbers that can be made.

3 marks
Show answer
648
23

The passcode for a tablet is a 4 digit number.

The first digit cannot be 0.

Digits may repeat.

  1. Work out the number of different passcodes that are possible.
  2. Ruby does not know the passcode. She types one 4 digit number at random, with a non-zero first digit. Write down the probability that Ruby types the correct passcode.
3 marks
Show answer
a) 9000 b) 1/9000
24

The code for a padlock is made up of 3 digits.

Each digit is chosen from 1 to 9.

All three digits must be different.

The code must be an odd number.

Work out the number of different codes that are possible.

4 marks
Show answer
280

Every question here is original and written by Robinson Tuition. The grade follows the Edexcel grade descriptors and suits AQA and OCR too; this is not an exam-board paper.

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