2022 SSMO Accuracy Round Problems/Problem 1

Problem

Consider a bijective function (meaning each element in the domain maps to a distinct element in the range) $f:S\rightarrow S,$ where $S=\{1, 2, 3, 4, 5\}$. What is the average of $f(1) + f(2) + f(3)$, over all $f$?

Solution

By linearity of expectation, we can take $f(1),f(2),f(3)$ separately. The average of $f(x)$ is clearly $3$, so the average of $f(1)+f(2)+f(3)=3+3+3=\boxed{9}$.

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