[go: up one dir, main page]
Scribd
Upload
235 views3 pages

Intermediate Counting & Probability Prep

The document provides a sample quiz to assess readiness for an Intermediate Counting & Probability course. It covers skills in geometric series, factoring polynomials, and basic counting techniques. The 13 quiz questions test skills in topics like finding sums of geometric series, factoring polynomials, counting multiples of numbers, and calculating probabilities of outcomes involving dice rolls, poker hands, and chess matchups. It concludes by providing the answers to the 13 readiness assessment questions.

Uploaded by

Motswana Malatji
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
235 views3 pages

Intermediate Counting & Probability Prep

The document provides a sample quiz to assess readiness for an Intermediate Counting & Probability course. It covers skills in geometric series, factoring polynomials, and basic counting techniques. The 13 quiz questions test skills in topics like finding sums of geometric series, factoring polynomials, counting multiples of numbers, and calculating probabilities of outcomes involving dice rolls, poker hands, and chess matchups. It concludes by providing the answers to the 13 readiness assessment questions.

Uploaded by

Motswana Malatji
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

Art of Problem Solving Online School

Are You Ready For


Intermediate Counting & Probability

Students enrolling in Intermediate Counting & Probability should be comfortable with geometric
series, factoring and multiplying polynomials, and basic counting techniques. Examples of each
are below.

Geometric Series.

1. Evaluate the sum: 1 + 2 + 22 + 23 + · · · + 210 .

2. Assuming that −1 < x < 1, find a closed form expression for 1 − x + x2 − x3 + x4 − x5 + · · · by


evaluating the sum as an infinite geometric series with common ratio −x.

Factoring and Multiplying Polynomials.

3. Find the polynomial f (x) such that (x − 1) f (x) = x6 − 1.

4. Find the five terms with smallest degree of the product (1 + x + x2 + x3 + x4 + · · · )(1 + 2x +
3x2 + 4x3 + 5x4 + · · · ).

Counting Techniques. The following questions are from the “Do You Know Introduction to
Counting & Probability” quiz. If you cannot easily solve most of them, you should consider
taking our Introduction to Counting & Probability course before taking Intermediate Counting
& Probability.

5. How many multiples of 7 are between 83 and 229?

6. How many distinct arrangements are there of the letters in the word MATHEMATICS?

7. A coin is flipped, a 6-sided die numbered 1 through 6 is rolled, and a 10-sided die numbered
0 through 9 is rolled. What is the probability that the coin comes up heads and the sum of
the numbers that show on the dice is 8?

8. Find the coefficient of x3 y8 in the expansion of (x − 2y2 )7 .

9. Particle Man is at the origin in three-dimensional space. How many ways can Particle Man
take a series of 12 unit-length steps, each step parallel to one of the coordinate axes, from the
origin to (3, 4, 5) without passing through the point (2, 3, 2)?

10. In poker, a hand is formed with 5 cards. The deck has 52 cards, separated into 4 suits. Each
suit has 13 ranks which are the same in every suit. A full house occurs when a hand has 3
cards of one rank and 2 of another. How many different poker hands are full houses?

c 2014 AoPS Incorporated. All rights reserved.



1
Art of Problem Solving Online School
Are You Ready For
Intermediate Counting & Probability

11. How many distinguishable ways can the faces of a regular hexagonal prism be painted 8
different colors (one color per face, no color used twice)?

12. There are 2n players in a chess tournament. The first round consists of pairing the players
to participate in n matches with every player playing one match. In terms of n, how many
ways can this pairing take place?

13. A playoff series between two teams proceeds one game at a time until one team has won 5
games. What is the probability that the series lasts 9 games if each team is equally likely to
win each game?

c 2014 AoPS Incorporated. All rights reserved.



2
Art of Problem Solving Online School
Are You Ready For
Intermediate Counting & Probability

The answers to Are You Ready for Intermediate Counting & Probability are below. (The answers
to problem sets and challenges given in the class will include full detailed solutions as opposed to
the mere answers provided below.)

1. 2047
1
2. 1+x

3. x5 + x4 + x3 + x2 + x + 1

4. 1 + 3x + 6x2 + 10x3 + 15x4 + · · ·

5. 21

6. 4989600

7. 1/20

8. 560

9. 23520

10. 3744

11. 3360
(2n)!
12. 2n n!

13. 35/128

c 2014 AoPS Incorporated. All rights reserved.



3

You might also like