Question

a steakhouse sells a meal that includes a ribeye steak, a side, and a drink. if a customer can choose from 5 meat doneness (rare, medium rare, medium, medium well, and well done), 6 sides, and 5 drinks, how many possible meals can a customer order?

Explanation:

Step1: Recall the counting principle

The counting principle states that if there are $m_1$ ways to do one thing, $m_2$ ways to do a second thing, and $m_3$ ways to do a third thing, then the total number of ways to do all three things together is $m_1\times m_2\times m_3$.

Step2: Identify the number of choices for each category

There are $m_1 = 5$ ways to choose the meat doneness, $m_2=6$ ways to choose a side, and $m_3 = 5$ ways to choose a drink.

Step3: Calculate the total number of meals

We multiply the number of choices for each category: $5\times6\times5=150$.

Answer:

150