Art of Problem Solving
AoPS Online
Math texts, online classes, and more
for students in grades 5-12.
Visit AoPS Online ‚
Books for Grades 5-12 Online Courses
Beast Academy
Engaging math books and online learning
for students ages 6-13.
Visit Beast Academy ‚
Books for Ages 6-13 Beast Academy Online
AoPS Academy
Small live classes for advanced math
and language arts learners in grades 2-12.
Visit AoPS Academy ‚
Find a Physical Campus Visit the Virtual Campus

Difference between revisions of "2016 AMC 10A Problems/Problem 20"

m (→‎Solution)
(→‎Solution)
Line 5: Line 5:
 
==Solution==
 
==Solution==
 
All the desired terms are in the form <math>a^xb^yc^zd^w1^t</math>, where <math>x + y + z + w + t = N</math> (the <math>1^t</math> part is necessary to make stars and bars work better.)
 
All the desired terms are in the form <math>a^xb^yc^zd^w1^t</math>, where <math>x + y + z + w + t = N</math> (the <math>1^t</math> part is necessary to make stars and bars work better.)
−
Since <math>x</math>, <math>y</math>, <math>z</math>, and <math>w</math> must be at least <math>1</math> (<math>t</math> can be 0), let <math>x' = x - 1</math>, <math>y' = y - 1</math>, <math>z' = z - 1</math>, and <math>w' = w - 1</math>, so <math>x' + y' + z' + w' + t = N - 4</math>. Now, we use stars and bars to see that there are <math>\binom{N}{4}</math> solutions to this equation. We notice that <math>\binom{14}{4} = 1001</math>, partly because 1001=7 * 11 * 13 which gives us some suspicions as to what N might be,  so <math>N = \boxed{14}</math>.
+
Since <math>x</math>, <math>y</math>, <math>z</math>, and <math>w</math> must be at least <math>1</math> (<math>t</math> can be <math>0</math>), let <math>x' = x - 1</math>, <math>y' = y - 1</math>, <math>z' = z - 1</math>, and <math>w' = w - 1</math>, so <math>x' + y' + z' + w' + t = N - 4</math>. Now, we use stars and bars to see that there are <math>\binom{N}{4}</math> solutions to this equation. We notice that <math>1001=7\cdot11\cdot13</math>, which leads us to guess that <math>N</math> is around these numbers. This suspicion proves to be correct, as we see that <math>\binom{14}{4} = 1001</math>, giving us our answer of <math>\boxed{N=14}</math>.
  
 
==Another solution==
 
==Another solution==

Revision as of 16:57, 4 February 2017

For some particular value of $N$, when $(a+b+c+d+1)^N$ is expanded and like terms are combined, the resulting expression contains exactly $1001$ terms that include all four variables $a, b,c,$ and $d$, each to some positive power. What is $N$?

$\textbf{(A) }9 \qquad \textbf{(B) } 14 \qquad \textbf{(C) } 16 \qquad \textbf{(D) } 17 \qquad \textbf{(E) } 19$

Solution

All the desired terms are in the form $a^xb^yc^zd^w1^t$, where $x + y + z + w + t = N$ (the $1^t$ part is necessary to make stars and bars work better.) Since $x$, $y$, $z$, and $w$ must be at least $1$ ($t$ can be $0$), let $x' = x - 1$, $y' = y - 1$, $z' = z - 1$, and $w' = w - 1$, so $x' + y' + z' + w' + t = N - 4$. Now, we use stars and bars to see that there are $\binom{N}{4}$ solutions to this equation. We notice that $1001=7\cdot11\cdot13$, which leads us to guess that $N$ is around these numbers. This suspicion proves to be correct, as we see that $\binom{14}{4} = 1001$, giving us our answer of $\boxed{N=14}$.

Another solution

The number of terms that have all $a,b,c,d$ raised to a positive power is $\binom{N-1}{3}+\binom{N-2}{3}+\cdots + \binom{4}{3}+\binom{3}{3}=\binom{N}{4}$. For $N=\boxed{14}$, $\binom{N}{4}=1001$.

See Also

2016 AMC 10A (Problems • Answer Key • Resources)
Preceded by
Problem 19 		Followed by
Problem 21
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
All AMC 10 Problems and Solutions

The problems on this page are copyrighted by the Mathematical Association of America's American Mathematics Competitions. AMC logo.png

Retrieved from "https://artofproblemsolving.com/wiki/index.php?title=2016_AMC_10A_Problems/Problem_20&oldid=82678"