number of ways to arrange basketball players if....

[Sarah2391]

Five basketball players are to be lined up before a game. They are to be arranged side by side in a single row with the tallest player in the middle. If no two players are the same height and the tallest player must stand in the middle, how many different arrangements are possible?

(a) 5

(b) 8

(c) 24

(d) 92

(e) 120

 

[stapel]

Five basketball players are to be lined up before a game. They are to be arranged side by side in a single row with the tallest player in the middle. If no two players are the same height and the tallest player must stand in the middle, how many different arrangements are possible?

Since only one player is "the tallest", then one player is fixed in one position. How many players are left? How many positions are left? Since no two players are the same height, are their positions indistinguishable or distiguishable? That is, does their order matter, or not?

Please reply showing how far you have gotten, and which formula(s) you are using. Thank you!

Eliz.