2001 AMC 10 Problems/Problem 19

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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 with Stars and Bars

Let the donuts be represented by $O$s. We wish to find all possible 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 (stars and bars) 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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