2006 AIME I Problem 11

Attempt Problem 11 of the 2006 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 2006 AIME I solutions, or check the answer key.

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11.

A collection of 88 cubes consists of one cube with edge-length kk for each integer k,k, 1k8.1 \le k \le 8. A tower is to be built using all 88 cubes according to the rules:

• Any cube may be the bottom cube in the tower.

• The cube immediately on top of a cube with edge-length kk must have edge-length at most k+2.k + 2.

Let TT be the number of different towers that can be constructed. What is the remainder when TT is divided by 1000?1000?

Answer: 458
Concepts:recursive countingbijection
Difficulty rating: 2760
Solution:

Let S(n)S(n) be the number of legal towers using the cubes of edge-lengths 1,,n.1, \ldots, n. Given a legal tower of n2n \ge 2 cubes, cube n+1n + 1 can be inserted in exactly three places: at the bottom, immediately on top of cube n,n, or immediately on top of cube n1n - 1 (anywhere else it would rest on a cube of edge-length at most n2,n - 2, violating the rule). Each insertion stays legal, because the cube that ends up on top of cube n+1n + 1 has edge-length at most n<(n+1)+2.n \lt (n+1) + 2. Conversely, deleting cube n+1n + 1 from a legal tower of n+1n + 1 cubes leaves a legal tower: the cube that was above it, of edge-length at most n,n, lands on a cube of edge-length at least n1.n - 1.

Hence S(n+1)=3S(n)S(n + 1) = 3 S(n) for n2.n \ge 2. Since S(2)=2S(2) = 2 (either of the two cubes may be on top), we get T=S(8)=236=1458,T = S(8) = 2 \cdot 3^6 = 1458, and the remainder is 458.458.

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