2016 AMC 10A Problem 18

Attempt Problem 18 of the 2016 AMC 10A 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 2016 AMC 10A solutions, or check the answer key.

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18.

Each vertex of a cube is to be labeled with an integer 11 through 8,8, with each integer being used once, in such a way that the sum of the four numbers on the vertices of a face is the same for each face. Arrangements that can be obtained from each other through rotations of the cube are considered to be the same. How many different arrangements are possible?

11

33

66

1212

2424

Answer: C
Concepts:cube geometrycaseworksymmetry
Difficulty rating: 2060
Solution:

Opposite faces together use all eight labels, whose sum is 3636, so every face must have sum 1818.

Put label 11 at one vertex, and let the three adjacent labels be a,b,ca,b,c. The three vertices adjacent to those across faces are then forced to be 17ab,17ac,17bc, \begin{gathered} 17-a-b, \\ \quad 17-a-c, \\ \quad 17-b-c, \end{gathered} and the opposite vertex is a+b+c16a+b+c-16.

Assume the three neighbor labels are listed in increasing order. Substituting triples from 2,3,,82,3,\ldots,8 into the four forced expressions above gives exactly {a,b,c}four forced labels{4,6,8}{7,5,3,2}{4,7,8}{6,5,2,3}{6,7,8}{4,3,2,5} \begin{array}{c|c} \{a,b,c\} & \text{four forced labels} \\ \hline \{4,6,8\} & \{7,5,3,2\} \\ \{4,7,8\} & \{6,5,2,3\} \\ \{6,7,8\} & \{4,3,2,5\} \end{array} For each neighbor set, the six orders around the vertex fall into two groups of three under the 120120^\circ rotations about the diagonal through that vertex. Thus each set gives two non-rotationally equivalent arrangements, for 32=63\cdot2=6 arrangements in all.

Thus, the correct answer is C.

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