2001 AIME I Problem 15

Attempt Problem 15 of the 2001 AIME I 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 2001 AIME I solutions, or check the answer key.

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15.

The numbers 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 88 are randomly written on the faces of a regular octahedron so that each face contains a different number. The probability that no two consecutive numbers, where 88 and 11 are considered to be consecutive, are written on faces that share an edge is mn,\frac{m}{n}, where mm and nn are relatively prime positive integers. Find m+n.m + n.

Answer: 85
Concepts:polyhedrongraph theorybasic probabilitycasework
Difficulty rating: 3270
Solution:

Pass to the dual cube: the octahedron's faces correspond to a cube's vertices, and two faces share an edge exactly when the corresponding cube vertices are adjacent. Following the numbers 1,2,,81, 2, \ldots, 8 and back to 11 traces a closed 88-step circuit through all the cube's vertices, and the requirement is that every step is a diagonal (an edge of one of the two inscribed tetrahedra, or one of the 44 long space diagonals). There are 1616 such diagonals.

Each vertex lies on exactly one long diagonal, so the circuit cannot take two long diagonals in a row, and switching between the two tetrahedra is possible only via a long diagonal. Hence the circuit uses either 44 long diagonals alternating with tetrahedron edges, or 22 long diagonals separated by 33-edge paths in each tetrahedron. In the first case, choosing a pair of opposite edges in each tetrahedron (323 \cdot 2 ways) gives 66 octagons, each traceable as 828 \cdot 2 permutations: 96.96. In the second case, a 33-edge path in one tetrahedron can be chosen in 4!=244! = 24 ways, and the return path through the other tetrahedron is then forced up to 22 choices, giving 8242=3848 \cdot 24 \cdot 2 = 384 permutations.

So 96+384=48096 + 384 = 480 of the 8!=403208! = 40320 labelings work, and the probability is 48040320=184.\frac{480}{40320} = \frac{1}{84}. Thus m+n=1+84=85.m + n = 1 + 84 = 85.

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