2008 AIME II Problem 12

Attempt Problem 12 of the 2008 AIME II 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 2008 AIME II solutions, or check the answer key.

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12.

There are two distinguishable flagpoles, and there are 1919 flags, of which 1010 are identical blue flags, and 99 are identical green flags. Let NN be the number of distinguishable arrangements using all of the flags in which each flagpole has at least one flag and no two green flags on either pole are adjacent. Find the remainder when NN is divided by 1000.1000.

Answer: 310
Concepts:arrangements with restrictionscombinationscomplementary countingVandermonde’s Convolution
Difficulty rating: 3060
Solution:

Suppose the first pole gets bb blue and gg green flags, the second the remaining 10b10 - b blue and 9g9 - g green. On a pole with bb blue flags, the green flags must occupy distinct gaps among the b+1b + 1 gaps around the blues, in (b+1g)\binom{b+1}{g} ways. Temporarily ignoring the requirement that each pole be nonempty, the total is b=010g=09(b+1g)(11b9g)=b=010(129)=11220=2420, \begin{aligned} &\sum_{b=0}^{10} \sum_{g=0}^{9} \binom{b+1}{g} \\ &\quad {}\cdot \binom{11-b}{9-g} \\ &= \sum_{b=0}^{10} \binom{12}{9} \\ &= 11 \cdot 220 = 2420, \end{aligned} where the inner sum collapses by Vandermonde's identity, since (b+1)+(11b)=12.(b + 1) + (11 - b) = 12.

The arrangements that leave a pole empty put all 1919 flags on one pole, in (119)=55\binom{11}{9} = 55 ways for each choice of pole. Hence N=2420255=2310,N = 2420 - 2 \cdot 55 = 2310, and the remainder when NN is divided by 10001000 is 310.310.

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