1986 AIME Problem 13
Attempt Problem 13 of the 1986 AIME below, then check your answer against the professionally curated solution from LIVE by Po-Shen Loh. You can also try the full timed exam, view all 1986 AIME solutions, or check the answer key.
All problems are used with official legal permission of the Mathematical Association of America (MAA).
13.
In a sequence of coin tosses, one can keep a record of instances in which a tail is immediately followed by a head, a head is immediately followed by a head, and so on. We denote these by and so on. For example, in the sequence of coin tosses, there are two three four and five subsequences. How many different sequences of coin tosses contain exactly two three four and five subsequences?
Answer: 560
Small Hint:
Compare the numbers of and transitions to determine the first and last tosses
Big Hint:
Translate the and counts into totals distributed among alternating runs
Solution:
Since there are four transitions and three transitions, every valid sequence starts with and ends with It therefore has four -runs and four -runs, alternating.
If the -runs have total length then the number of transitions is Thus and the positive lengths of the four -runs can be chosen in ways. Similarly, five transitions mean that the four -runs have total length giving choices. The alternating order is fixed, so the number of sequences is
Problem 13 in Other Years
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