Question

Which word gives rise to more anagrams: combinatorics or combinatorica? Justify your answer.

a) Combinatorics
b) Combinatorica
c) Both have the same number of anagrams
d) Neither has anagrams

Answer 1

The word 'combinatorica' gives rise to more anagrams compared to 'combinatorics' due to the presence of an additional letter.

Step-by-step explanation:

To determine which word, combinatorics or combinatorica, gives rise to more anagrams, we need to consider the number of permutations for each word. Anagrams are formed by rearranging the letters of a word to create new words. The word 'combinatorics' has 13 letters, while 'combinatorica' has 14 letters. Both words contain the same letters, except for the additional 'a' in 'combinatorica'. The presence of an additional letter in 'combinatorica' means that it can generate more anagrams compared to 'combinatorics'. Therefore, the word 'combinatorica' gives rise to more anagrams.

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