Question:

How many 3-digit numbers can be formed using three distinct single digit prime numbers?

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Hint:
First find how many single digit prime numbers exist, then work out how many ways you can pick 3 of them and arrange those 3 in order.
Updated On: Aug 17, 2026
  • 64
  • 24
  • 12
  • 4
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The Correct Option is B

Solution and Explanation

Step 1: List the single digit prime numbers.
The single digit numbers are 0 through 9, and the prime numbers among them are 2, 3, 5, and 7. So there are exactly 4 digits available to build the 3-digit number from.

Step 2: Understand what the question is asking for.
We need 3-digit numbers where all three digits are distinct and each digit is one of 2, 3, 5, 7. Since we must pick 3 different digits out of these 4 and then arrange them, this is a counting problem in two parts, first choose which 3 digits to use, then decide the order they appear in.

Step 3: Choose which 3 of the 4 primes to use.
The number of ways to choose 3 digits out of 4 available digits is given by the combination formula:
\[ \binom{4}{3} = \frac{4!}{3! \times 1!} = 4 \]
So there are 4 different sets of 3 digits that could be used, for example {2,3,5}, {2,3,7}, {2,5,7}, and {3,5,7}.

Step 4: Arrange each chosen set of 3 digits.
Once a set of 3 distinct digits is picked, they can be arranged in any order to form a 3-digit number. The number of ways to arrange 3 distinct digits is:
\[ 3! = 3 \times 2 \times 1 = 6 \]
Since none of 2, 3, 5, 7 is zero, every arrangement is a valid 3-digit number, there is no risk of a leading zero making the number only 2 digits long.

Step 5: Combine the choices and the arrangements.
Each of the 4 possible sets of digits can be arranged in 6 different orders, so the total count is:
\[ 4 \times 6 = 24 \]

Step 6: Rule out the other options.
Option (A), 64, would come from allowing digits to repeat, for example choosing freely 3 times from 4 digits ($4^3 = 64$), but the question asks for three distinct digits, so repetition is not allowed here. Option (C), 12, undercounts, it misses some valid orderings. Option (D), 4, only counts the number of digit sets, without accounting for the different orders each set can be arranged in.

Final Answer:
Choosing 3 out of 4 single digit primes and arranging them gives $4 \times 6 = 24$ distinct 3-digit numbers. \[ \boxed{24} \]
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