2024 AIME I Problem 11

Below is the professionally curated solution for Problem 11 of the 2024 AIME I, from LIVE by Po-Shen Loh. You can also try the full timed exam, view all 2024 AIME I solutions, or check the answer key.

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Concepts:basic probabilitydouble countingcasework

Difficulty rating: 2990

11.

Each vertex of a regular octagon is independently colored either red or blue with equal probability. The probability that the octagon can then be rotated so that all of the blue vertices end up at positions where there had been red vertices is mn,\frac{m}{n}, where mm and nn are relatively prime positive integers. Find m+n.m + n.

Solution:

Label the vertices 0,,70, \ldots, 7 and let BB be the blue set, b=B.b = |B|. Rotation by kk works exactly when (B+k)B=.(B + k) \cap B = \varnothing. Since B+kB + k must fit inside the 8b8 - b red positions, b4.b \le 4. Summing B(B+k)|B \cap (B + k)| over all eight rotations counts all pairs (i,j)B×B(i, j) \in B \times B once (via k=ijk = i - j), a total of b2,b^2, and the k=0k = 0 term contributes b.b. So for b3b \le 3 the seven nonzero rotations share only b2b6b^2 - b \le 6 overlaps, and some rotation has none: all 1+8+28+56=931 + 8 + 28 + 56 = 93 colorings with b3b \le 3 succeed.

For b=4,b = 4, disjointness forces B+kB + k to be exactly the complement of B.B. If kk is odd, the cycle 0,k,2k,0, k, 2k, \ldots visits all vertices and must alternate between BB and its complement, so BB is the evens or the odds: 22 sets. If k2(mod4),k \equiv 2 \pmod 4, then BB meets each of the 44-cycles {0,2,4,6}\{0, 2, 4, 6\} and {1,3,5,7}\{1, 3, 5, 7\} in an antipodal pair: 22=42 \cdot 2 = 4 sets, such as {0,1,4,5}.\{0, 1, 4, 5\}. If k=4,k = 4, then BB contains exactly one of each pair {i,i+4}:\{i, i + 4\}: 24=162^4 = 16 sets. The first two families contain both members of some antipodal pair while the third never does, and the evens/odds take both their antipodal pairs from one 44-cycle, so the three families are disjoint: 2+4+16=222 + 4 + 16 = 22 sets.

In total 93+22=11593 + 22 = 115 of the 28=2562^8 = 256 colorings work, so the probability is 115256\frac{115}{256} and m+n=115+256=371.m + n = 115 + 256 = 371.

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