How many ways can 5 different books be selected and arranged on a shelf?

How many ways can 5 different books be selected and arranged on a shelf?

Correct Answer: 120

Step 1: Understand that we have 5 different books.
Step 2: Realize that we want to arrange all 5 books on a shelf.
Step 3: Know that arranging items is a permutation problem.
Step 4: The formula for arranging 'n' different items is 'n!'.
Step 5: Since we have 5 books, we use the formula 5!.
Step 6: Calculate 5! which means 5 x 4 x 3 x 2 x 1.
Step 7: Perform the multiplication: 5 x 4 = 20, then 20 x 3 = 60, then 60 x 2 = 120, and finally 120 x 1 = 120.
Step 8: Conclude that there are 120 different ways to select and arrange the 5 books.

Permutations – The question tests the understanding of permutations, specifically how to arrange a set of distinct items.