How is a combination defined?

A combination is defined as a selection of objects without regard to the order of arrangement. This means that when forming a combination, the actual order in which the items are chosen does not matter — only the items themselves are of importance.

For example, if you are selecting 3 fruits from a basket containing an apple, a banana, and a cherry, the combination would be the same regardless of the order: choosing an apple, a banana, and a cherry is the same as choosing a cherry, an apple, and a banana.

In contrast, arrangements where order is crucial are called permutations, which is why the first choice describes permutations rather than combinations. The other choices pertain to different mathematical concepts, such as graphing or probability distributions, and do not relate directly to the definition of combinations.