Question

At a competition there are 7 runners, 2 medals are awarded for first and second place. Each medal is different. How many ways are there to award the medals?

Answer 1

To award the first place medal, there are 7 possible runners. Once the first place medal is awarded, there are 6 remaining runners to award the second place medal to. Therefore, there are 7 choices for the first place medal * 6 choices for the second place medal = 42 ways to award the medals.