2001 AMC 10 Problems/Problem 19

Problem

Pat wants to buy four donuts from an ample supply of three types of donuts: glazed, chocolate, and powdered. How many different selections are possible?

$\textbf{(A)}\ 6 \qquad \textbf{(B)}\ 9 \qquad \textbf{(C)}\ 12 \qquad \textbf{(D)}\ 15 \qquad \textbf{(E)}\ 18$

Solution

Let the donuts be represented by $O$s. We wish to find all combinations of glazed, chocolate, and powdered donuts that give us $4$ in all. The four donuts we want can be represented as $OOOO$. Notice that we can add two "dividers" to divide the group of donuts into three different kinds; the first will be glazed, second will be chocolate, and the third will be powdered. For example, $O|OO|O$ represents one glazed, two chocolate, and one powdered. We have six objects in all, and we wish to turn two into dividers, which can be done in $\binom{6}{2}=15$ ways. Our answer is hence $\boxed{\textbf{(D)}\ 15}$. Notice that this can be generalized to get the balls and urn identity.

See Also

2001 AMC 10 (ProblemsAnswer KeyResources)
Preceded by
Problem 18
Followed by
Problem 20
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All AMC 10 Problems and Solutions

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