2002 AIME II Problems/Problem 9
Problem
Let be the set Let be the number of sets of two non-empty disjoint subsets of . (Disjoint sets are defined as sets that have no common elements.) Find the remainder obtained when is divided by .
Solution
Let the two disjoint subsets be and , and let . For each , either , , or . So there are ways to organize the elements of into disjoint , , and .
However, there are ways to organize the elements of such that and , and there are ways to organize the elements of such that and . But, the combination such that and is counted twice.
Thus, there are ordered pairs of sets . But since the question asks for the number of unordered sets , .
See also
2002 AIME II (Problems • Answer Key • Resources) | ||
Preceded by Problem 8 |
Followed by Problem 10 | |
1 • 2 • 3 • 4 • 5 • 6 • 7 • 8 • 9 • 10 • 11 • 12 • 13 • 14 • 15 | ||
All AIME Problems and Solutions |
The problems on this page are copyrighted by the Mathematical Association of America's American Mathematics Competitions.