Question

There is an unlimited supply of congruent equilateral triangles made of colored paper. Each triangle is a solid color with the same color on both sides of the paper. A large equilateral triangle is constructed from four of these paper triangles as shown. Two large triangles are considered distinguishable if it is not possible to place one on the other, using translations, rotations, and/or reflections, so that their corresponding small triangles are of the same color. Given that there are six different colors of triangles from which to choose, how many distinguishable large equilateral triangles can be constructed?

Answer

Answer: 336

Concepts:combinations symmetry casework

Difficulty rating: 2390

Solution:

The rotations and reflections of the large triangle realize every permutation of the three corner triangles while fixing the center triangle. So two large triangles are indistinguishable exactly when they have the same center color and the same multiset of three corner colors.

Count the multisets of corner colors from six colors: all three the same ( $6$ ways), exactly two the same ( $6 \cdot 5 = 30$ ways, choosing the repeated color and then the different one), or all three different ( $\binom{6}{3} = 20$ ways). That is $6 + 30 + 20 = 56$ multisets.

With $6$ independent choices for the center color, the total is $6 \cdot 56 = 336.$

2006 AIME II Problem 8

Answer: 336

Difficulty rating: 2390

Solution:

Problem 8 in Other Years