1997 AIME Problem 8

Below is the professionally curated solution for Problem 8 of the 1997 AIME, from LIVE by Po-Shen Loh. You can also try the full timed exam, view all 1997 AIME solutions, or check the answer key.

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Difficulty rating: 2560

8.

How many different 4×44 \times 4 arrays whose entries are all 11's and 1-1's have the property that the sum of the entries in each row is 00 and the sum of the entries in each column is 0?0?

Solution:

Each row must contain two 11's and two 1-1's, so identify each row with the pair of columns holding its 11's; each column must end up chosen by exactly two rows. There are (42)=6\binom{4}{2} = 6 choices for row 1.1. Classify by how row 22 overlaps row 1.1.

If row 22 uses the same pair (11 way), those two columns are full, so rows 33 and 44 must both use the complementary pair: 11 completion. If row 22 uses the complementary pair (11 way), every column has one 11 so far, so rows 33 and 44 need only be a complementary pair themselves: 66 choices for row 3,3, row 44 forced, giving 66 completions. If row 22 shares exactly one column with row 11 (22=42 \cdot 2 = 4 ways), one column is full, two have one 1,1, and one is empty; rows 33 and 44 must each take the empty column together with one of the two half-filled columns, so there are 22 completions.

The total is 6(11+16+42)=615=90.6\,(1 \cdot 1 + 1 \cdot 6 + 4 \cdot 2) = 6 \cdot 15 = 90.

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