The president of a consulting firm wants to minimize the total number of hours it will take to complete four projects for a new client. Accordingly, she has estimated the time it should take for each of her top consultants-Charlie, Betty, Johnny, and Rick-to complete any of the four projects, as follows: $$\begin{array} { c }
\quad \quad \quad \quad \quad { \text { Project (Hours) } } \
\begin{array} { l c c c c }
\text { Consultant } & \text { A } & \text { B } & \text { C } & \text { D } \
\hline \text { Charlie } & 13 & 16 & 11 & 13 \
\text { Betty } & 11 & 15 & 14 & 18 \
\text { Johnny } & 15 & 22 & 12 & 15 \
\text { Rick } & 17 & 17 & 12 & 22
\end{array}\end{array}$$ In how many different ways can she assign these consultants to these projects?
A) 4
B) 8
C) 16
D) 24
E) 256

Question

The president of a consulting firm wants to minimize the total number of hours it will take to complete four projects for a new client. Accordingly, she has estimated the time it should take for each of her top consultants-Charlie, Betty, Johnny, and Rick-to complete any of the four projects, as follows: $$\begin{array} { c } 
\quad \quad \quad \quad \quad { \text { Project (Hours) } } \
\begin{array} { l c c c c } 
\text { Consultant } & \text { A } & \text { B } & \text { C } & \text { D } \
\hline \text { Charlie } & 13 & 16 & 11 & 13 \
\text { Betty } & 11 & 15 & 14 & 18 \
\text { Johnny } & 15 & 22 & 12 & 15 \
\text { Rick } & 17 & 17 & 12 & 22
\end{array}\end{array}$$ In how many different ways can she assign these consultants to these projects?
A) 4
B) 8
C) 16
D) 24
E) 256

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

For each project, there are 4 choices of consultants. Therefore, the total number of ways to assign the consultants to the projects is $4^4=256.$

The President of a Consulting Firm Wants to Minimize the Total