To arrange the eight chairs and two stools, I need to choose two positions out of ten for the stools, and then the chairs will fill the remaining positions. This is a combination problem, since the order of the stools does not matter. I can use the formula for the number of combinations of n objects taken r at a time: nCr = n! / (r! * (n-r)!). In this case, n = 10 and r = 2, so I have 10C2 = 10! / (2! * 8!) = (10 * 9 * 8!) / (2 * 8!) = 45. This means there are 45 distinct ways to arrange the chairs and stools for a meeting. 
There is a committee composed of eight women and two men. When they meet, they sit in a row---the women in indistinguishable rocking chairs and the men on indistinguishable stools.  How many distinct ways are there for me to arrange the eight chairs and two stools for a meeting?