the.com/combination
the secret to any lock, sandwich, or song you can't stop humming.
means A grouping of two or more things joined together, where the result depends on what you've put in and—sometimes—on the order you put them in.
from From Latin 'combinare,' 'to join two together,' built from 'com-' (with, together) and 'bini' (two by two, in pairs)—the same 'bini' that gives us 'binary.' It arrived in English through Late Latin and Old French around the 15th century, and at heart still means exactly that: things set together two by two until they make a whole.
- lock math
- A 3-dial padlock hides 64,000 possible codes.
- misnomer
- Math calls order-free picks combinations, ordered ones permutations.
- deck odds
- Shuffle 52 cards: that order likely never existed before.
- chemistry
- Two harmless gases combine into ocean-filling water.
combination lock — invented by james sargent in 1857, uses rotating dials instead of keys
combination pizza — typically features pepperoni, sausage, and vegetables, popular american pizza style
combination play in baseball — double play where shortstop and second baseman execute coordinated handoff at second base
combination vaccine — mmr vaccine protects against measles, mumps, and rubella in single injection