1998 AHSME Problems/Problem 24
Contents
[hide]Problem
Call a -digit telephone number memorable if the prefix sequence is exactly the same as either of the sequences or (possibly both). Assuming that each can be any of the ten decimal digits , the number of different memorable telephone numbers is
Solution A
In this problem, we only need to consider the digits . Each possibility of gives possibilities for , which are and with the exception of the case of , which only gives one sequence. After accounting for overcounting, the answer is
Solution B
Let represent the set of telephone numbers with (of which there are possibilities for and for ), and those such that . Then (the telephone numbers that belong to both and ) is the set of telephone numbers such that , of which there are possibilities. By the Principle of Inclusion-Exclusion,
See also
1998 AHSME (Problems • Answer Key • Resources) | ||
Preceded by Problem 23 |
Followed by Problem 25 | |
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