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Glossary

Arrangement of Identical Objects

When some objects being arranged are identical, swapping them creates no new arrangement, so the total is reduced. The number of distinct arrangements of nn objects with repeats is n!p!

q! \frac{n!}{p!\,q!\,\dots}, where p,q,p, q, \dots count each repeated group.

For example, the letters of BUKU arrange in 4!2!\frac{4!}{2!} ways.

Meaning

When some objects being arranged are identical, swapping them creates no new arrangement, so the total is reduced. The number of distinct arrangements of nn objects with repeats is n!p!

q! \frac{n!}{p!\,q!\,\dots}, where p,q,p, q, \dots count each repeated group.

For example, the letters of BUKU arrange in 4!2!\frac{4!}{2!} ways.

Where it appears in Add Math

You meet Arrangement of Identical Objects in the Permutation and Combination chapter of SPM Additional Mathematics. Knowing the term precisely matters in the exam: questions often hinge on reading a keyword correctly, and because SPM marking is analytic, using the right definition in your working helps secure method marks.

Our teachers make sure a student can not only recite what Arrangement of Identical Objects means but use it fluently in a full solution.

The term in three languages

Because the SPM Add Math paper is bilingual (BM/EN), it helps to know this term in each language: Arrangement of Identical Objects (EN) · Susunan Objek Serupa (BM) · 相同物体的排列 (中文)

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Written by the spmaddmath.com.my editorial team.· Last updated 5 September 2026

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