2009 AIME I Problem 9
Below is the professionally curated solution for Problem 9 of the 2009 AIME I, from LIVE by Po-Shen Loh. You can also try the full timed exam, view all 2009 AIME I solutions, or check the answer key.
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Difficulty rating: 2600
9.
A game show offers a contestant three prizes A, B and C, each of which is worth a whole number of dollars from to inclusive. The contestant wins the prizes by correctly guessing the price of each prize in the order A, B, C. As a hint, the digits of the three prices are given. On a particular day, the digits given were Find the total number of possible guesses for all three prizes consistent with the hint.
Solution:
Concatenating the three guessed prices in order produces an arrangement of the seven given digits, and each guess is recovered uniquely from an arrangement together with a way to cut it into three consecutive nonempty blocks of at most four digits each (prices run from to and no price can start with here since every digit is or ). There are arrangements of four s and three s.
The ordered block lengths are the ways to write as an ordered sum of three parts between and the permutations of and giving cuts for each arrangement.
The total is
Problem 9 in Other Years
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