2005 AMC 12B Problem 25
Below is the professionally curated solution for Problem 25 of the 2005 AMC 12B, from LIVE by Po-Shen Loh. You can also try the full timed exam, view all 2005 AMC 12B solutions, or check the answer key.
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Difficulty rating: 2520
25.
Six ants simultaneously stand on the six vertices of a regular octahedron, with each ant at a different vertex. Simultaneously and independently, each ant moves from its vertex to one of the four adjacent vertices, each with equal probability. What is the probability that no two ants arrive at the same vertex?
Solution:
There are equally likely combinations of moves. Label the vertices where primed vertices are opposite the corresponding unprimed ones. An ant cannot move to its own vertex or the opposite one, so a valid outcome is a permutation with and similarly for each pair.
There are ordered choices for Of these, and are opposite in cases and adjacent in
If are opposite, say then and giving valid combinations.
If are adjacent, say then one of must be and there are ordered choices for each leaving for that is valid combinations.
Hence the probability is
Thus, the correct answer is A.
Problem 25 in Other Years
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