The position of how many letters will remain unchanged if each of the letter in the word 'TIMES' is arranged in alphabetical order?
Two
Understanding the Word Arrangement Problem
The question asks us to take the word 'TIMES', rearrange its letters in alphabetical order, and then find out how many letters end up in the exact same position they were in originally.
Original Word and Its Letters
The given word is 'TIMES'. Let's look at the letters and their positions in the original word:
| Position | Letter |
|---|---|
| 1st | T |
| 2nd | I |
| 3rd | M |
| 4th | E |
| 5th | S |
Arranging the Letters Alphabetically
Now, we take the letters from 'TIMES' (T, I, M, E, S) and arrange them according to the standard alphabetical order (A, B, C...).
The letters in alphabetical order are: E, I, M, S, T.
The Arranged Word and Its Positions
Using the letters in alphabetical order, we form a new arrangement:
| Position | Letter (Alphabetical Order) |
|---|---|
| 1st | E |
| 2nd | I |
| 3rd | M |
| 4th | S |
| 5th | T |
Comparing Original and Arranged Letter Positions
Let's compare the letter at each position in the original word 'TIMES' and the new arrangement 'EIMST' to see which letters stayed in the same spot:
| Position | Original Word (TIMES) | Arranged Word (EIMST) | Did Position Remain Unchanged? |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | T | E | No |
| 2nd | I | I | Yes |
| 3rd | M | M | Yes |
| 4th | E | S | No |
| 5th | S | T | No |
Counting Unchanged Letter Positions
Looking at the comparison table, we can see which positions had the same letter in both the original and arranged words:
- At the 2nd position, the letter is 'I' in both 'TIMES' and 'EIMST'. This position remained unchanged.
- At the 3rd position, the letter is 'M' in both 'TIMES' and 'EIMST'. This position remained unchanged.
- For the 1st, 4th, and 5th positions, the letters are different.
So, there are two positions (2nd and 3rd) where the letter did not change its place.
Conclusion
The position of two letters will remain unchanged if each letter in the word 'TIMES' is arranged in alphabetical order.
Revision Table: Understanding Letter Arrangement
| Concept | Explanation | Example (using TIMES) |
|---|---|---|
| Original Word | The word as given initially. | TIMES |
| Letters | Individual characters in the word. | T, I, M, E, S |
| Alphabetical Order | Arranging letters from A to Z. | E, I, M, S, T |
| Arranged Word | The new word formed by placing letters in alphabetical order. | EIMST |
| Unchanged Position | A specific place (like 1st, 2nd) where the letter is the same in both the original and arranged words. | Positions 2 and 3 for 'TIMES'. |
Additional Information: Positional Analysis in Words
Problems like this test your ability to analyze and compare positions within sequences. Understanding the concept of order and being able to systematically compare elements at corresponding positions is crucial.
- This is similar to problems involving permutations or rearrangement, where the focus is often on changes (or lack thereof) in the order of elements.
- Always break down the problem: identify the original order, determine the new order (in this case, alphabetical), and then perform a direct comparison position by position.
- Being careful with counting and matching is key to avoiding errors.
Important Questions from Dictionary or Alphabet Based
The position of how many letters will remain unchanged if each of the letter in the word ‘FINGER' is arranged in alphabetical order?
The position of how many letters will remain unchanged if each of the letter in the word 'CATEGORY' is arranged in alphabetical order?
The position of how many letters will remain unchanged if each of the letter in the word 'BACHELOR' is arranged in alphabetical order?
From the given alternatives, select the word which CANNOT be formed using the letters of the given word.
RecalcitrantEach of the letters in the word KINGDOM are arranged in alphabetical order. How many letters are there in the English alphabetical series between the letter which is fourth from the left and the one which is second from the right in the new letter-cluster thus formed?
