combination

Everyday

1. A combination is two or more things joined or mixed together, like a combination of colours or flavours. tree →
2. A combination is the set of numbers you need to open a combination lock or safe. tree →
3. (maths) A combination is one way of choosing items from a group, where the order does not matter. tree →
4. Combination is the act of combining things. tree →

In the lessons

In maths lessons, pupils list all the possible combinations, for example how many outfits can be made from 3 tops and 2 skirts (3 × 2 = 6). In science, chemicals in combination make new substances. In everyday life, padlocks, safes and lockers have combinations. Phrases: «in combination with», «a winning combination», «combination lock».

Examples

• Red and yellow is a bright combination. tree →
• I forgot the combination for my bike lock. tree →
• How many combinations can you make with 3 shirts and 4 pairs of trousers? tree →
• Hard work and luck were a winning combination. tree →
• Salt and vinegar is my favourite crisp combination. tree →
• Exercise in combination with good food keeps you healthy. tree →
• There are 10 combinations of two different fruits from a bowl of five. tree →
• This story is evidently a combination of two widely differing tales. tree →

Note

Countable noun: a combination, combinations. Verb: combine. In maths, a combination ignores order (apple-pear is the same as pear-apple); a «permutation» cares about order. A «combination lock» really uses an order, so mathematically it is a permutation.

In Jewish tradition

Interpretation: In Sefer Yetzirah, God made the world by combining the twenty-two letters in many ways. The tradition reads the 231 pairs as the 231 gates through which all things come to be. In the primary lessons: In maths lessons, pupils list all the possible combinations, for example how many outfits can be made from 3 tops and 2 skirts (3 × 2 = 6). In science, chemicals in combination make new substances. In everyday life, padlocks, safes and lockers have combinations. Phrases: «in combination with», «a winning combination», «combination lock».

Examples

• 31 That is to say a different combination of the elements. (Sefer Yetzirah, Kalisch 1877) tree →
• 21) The combination of the twenty-two letters without permutation is represented in the following table: (Sefer Yetzirah, Kalisch 1877) tree →
• 22) The number of combinations of twenty-two letters two and two without any permutation is according to the mathematical formula (Sefer Yetzirah, Kalisch 1877) tree →

Note

Countable noun: a combination, combinations. Verb: combine. In maths, a combination ignores order (apple-pear is the same as pear-apple); a «permutation» cares about order. A «combination lock» really uses an order, so mathematically it is a permutation.