Question

a restaurant offers the following limited lunch menu.
main courses turkey, spaghetti, meatloaf, shrimp, hamburger
vegetables peas, squash, cauliflower, eggplant
beverages coffee, tea, milk
desserts ice cream, brownies
if one item is selected from each of the four groups, in how many ways can a meal be ordered?
there are \boxed{} ways a meal can be ordered.

Explanation:

Step1: Count main courses

Number of main courses = 5 (Turkey, Spaghetti, Meatloaf, Shrimp, Hamburger)

Step2: Count vegetables

Number of vegetables = 4 (Peas, Squash, Cauliflower, Eggplant)

Step3: Count beverages

Number of beverages = 3 (Coffee, Tea, Milk)

Step4: Count desserts

Number of desserts = 2 (Ice Cream, Brownies)

Step5: Calculate total ways

Multiply counts: $5 \times 4 \times 3 \times 2$

Step6: Compute result

$5×4=20$, $20×3=60$, $60×2=120$

Answer:

120