Use the first when you need to choose r objects from a total of n objects and order DOES matter.
Example: You need to choose 3 winners out of 20 people who will receive prizes. The first place winner gets $1,000; the second place winner gets $500; the third place winner gets $250. Obviously the order in which you choose them is important since there are different prize levels.
Use the second when you need to choose r objects from a total of n objects and order DOES NOT matter.
Example: You need to choose 3 winners out of 20 people who will receive prizes. Each prize is worth $500. Since the prize is the same, it does not matter how the three winners are chosen. The question could also ask how many ways to choose 3 books out of 10 books to read during the summer. Order doesn't matter there either; you can read any book first.
Use the third when you need to figure out how many ways there are to select n objects with no repeats.
Example: How many ways can you seat 6 people in a row? You can put any 6 of them in the first chair but only 5 in the second (the 6th person has been placed in the first chair already), 4 in the third, etc.