2019 AIME II Problem 4

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Concepts:dice (probability)perfect squareparitycasework

Difficulty rating: 2480

4.

A standard six-sided fair die is rolled four times. The probability that the product of all four numbers rolled is a perfect square is mn,\frac{m}{n}, where mm and nn are relatively prime positive integers. Find m+n.m + n.

Solution:

The product is a perfect square exactly when each of the primes 2,2, 3,3, and 55 appears with even exponent. Only a roll of 55 contributes the prime 5,5, so the number of 55s is even: 0,0, 2,2, or 4.4. Classify the other values by the parities of their exponents of 22 and 3:3: rolls of 11 and 44 contribute (0,0),(0, 0), a 22 contributes (1,0),(1, 0), a 33 contributes (0,1),(0, 1), and a 66 contributes (1,1).(1, 1). The exponent of 22 is even iff the count of 22s plus the count of 66s is even, and similarly for 33s and 66s, so a collection of non-55 rolls works exactly when the counts of 22s, 33s, and 66s are all even or all odd.

With no 55s, all four rolls come from {1,2,3,4,6}.\{1, 2, 3, 4, 6\}. All-even cases: no 22s, 33s, or 66s gives 24=162^4 = 16 sequences (each roll is 11 or 44); exactly two of a single kind gives 34!2!2!22=72;3 \cdot \frac{4!}{2!\,2!} \cdot 2^2 = 72; two of each of two kinds gives 34!2!2!=18;3 \cdot \frac{4!}{2!\,2!} = 18; four of one kind gives 3.3. All-odd case: one 2,2, one 3,3, one 6,6, and one roll from {1,4}\{1, 4\} gives 4!2=48.4! \cdot 2 = 48. Subtotal 16+72+18+3+48=157.16 + 72 + 18 + 3 + 48 = 157. With two 55s, choose their positions in (42)=6\binom{4}{2} = 6 ways; the other two rolls must lie in the same parity class, giving 22+1+1+1=72^2 + 1 + 1 + 1 = 7 ordered pairs, for 4242 sequences. With four 55s there is 11 sequence.

In total 157+42+1=200157 + 42 + 1 = 200 of the 64=12966^4 = 1296 sequences work, so the probability is 2001296=25162,\frac{200}{1296} = \frac{25}{162}, and m+n=25+162=187.m + n = 25 + 162 = 187.

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