JAMB 1992 · UME · Q49

Five people are to be arranged in a row for a group photograph. How many arrangements are there if a married couple in the group insist on sitting next to each other?

Worked solution (try it first)
  1. Tie the couple together and treat them as one unit.
  2. Then there are 4 units to arrange in a row: 4!=244! = 24 ways.
  3. Inside the unit the couple can swap places: 2!=22! = 2 ways.
  4. Multiply: 24×2=4824 \times 2 = 48 arrangements, option A.

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