Answer: E) 3,060
Step-by-step explanation:
Given : The total number of equally qualified applicants = 18
The number of positions = 4
If order of selection does not matter , then we use combinations.
So , the number of different groups of 4 applicants can be chosen by the company to fill the positions = [tex]^{18}C_4=\dfrac{18!}{4!(18-4)!}[/tex]
[ ∵ [tex]^nC_r=\dfrac{n!}{r!(n-r)!}[/tex]]
[tex]=\dfrac{18\times16\times17\times15\times14!}{(24)14!}[/tex]
[tex]=3060[/tex]
Therefore , the number of different groups of 4 applicants can be chosen by the company to fill the positions if the order of selection does not matter = 3,060.
Therefore , the correct answer is E) 3,060
