How is a combination defined in relation to selecting objects?

A combination is defined as a selection of items where the order in which the items are chosen does not matter. This means that if you select a group of objects, the arrangement of those objects does not affect the selection itself. For instance, if you are choosing 3 fruits from a set of apples, oranges, and bananas, selecting an apple, an orange, and a banana is the same combination as selecting a banana, an apple, and an orange; the order of selection is irrelevant.

In contrast, when order is important, the selection would be classified as a permutation. The concept of combinations is widely used in various fields such as probability, statistics, and combinatorial mathematics, making it essential for understanding how to calculate possible groups from a larger set without concern for sequence.