Difference between revisions of "1989 AHSME Problems/Problem 24"
m (corrected number in one pair) |
(→Solution) |
||
(3 intermediate revisions by the same user not shown) | |||
Line 12: | Line 12: | ||
If there are two women, there are two arrangements: one in which they are together, and one in which they are apart, giving the pairs <math>(4,5)</math> and <math>(3,4)</math>. | If there are two women, there are two arrangements: one in which they are together, and one in which they are apart, giving the pairs <math>(4,5)</math> and <math>(3,4)</math>. | ||
− | All four pairs are asymmetrical; therefore by symmetry there are eight pairs altogether, so <math>\rm{(B)}</math>. | + | All four pairs are asymmetrical; therefore by symmetry there are eight pairs altogether, so <math>\boxed{\rm{(B)}}</math>. |
+ | |||
+ | == Solution 2 == | ||
+ | Denote <math>T_n</math> as the number of such pairs for <math>n</math> people. Then for <math>T_{n-1}</math>, when we add an extra spot, we can either have a male or female giving two options. Note that these two options however double the value of <math>T_{n-1}</math>. Now if we note that <math>T_2=1</math>, we have that <math>T_5=8</math>, so that the answer is <math>\boxed{\rm{(B)8}}</math>. | ||
== See also == | == See also == |
Latest revision as of 11:27, 19 June 2021
Contents
Problem
Five people are sitting at a round table. Let be the number of people sitting next to at least 1 female and be the number of people sitting next to at least one male. The number of possible ordered pairs is
Solution
Suppose there are more men than women; then there are between zero and two women.
If there are no women, the pair is . If there is one woman, the pair is .
If there are two women, there are two arrangements: one in which they are together, and one in which they are apart, giving the pairs and .
All four pairs are asymmetrical; therefore by symmetry there are eight pairs altogether, so .
Solution 2
Denote as the number of such pairs for people. Then for , when we add an extra spot, we can either have a male or female giving two options. Note that these two options however double the value of . Now if we note that , we have that , so that the answer is .
See also
1989 AHSME (Problems • Answer Key • Resources) | ||
Preceded by Problem 23 |
Followed by Problem 25 | |
1 • 2 • 3 • 4 • 5 • 6 • 7 • 8 • 9 • 10 • 11 • 12 • 13 • 14 • 15 • 16 • 17 • 18 • 19 • 20 • 21 • 22 • 23 • 24 • 25 • 26 • 27 • 28 • 29 • 30 | ||
All AHSME Problems and Solutions |
The problems on this page are copyrighted by the Mathematical Association of America's American Mathematics Competitions.