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Bian wants to write the integers 1 to 9 in the nine boxes shown so that the integers in any three adjacent boxes add to a multiple of 3. In how many ways can she do this?​

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User Ueeieiie
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1 Answer

1 vote

Answer: To satisfy the given condition, we need to place the numbers in the boxes in a way that the sum of any three adjacent boxes is divisible by 3.

We can divide the boxes into three groups as follows:

Group 1: Boxes {1, 4, 7}

Group 2: Boxes {2, 5, 8}

Group 3: Boxes {3, 6, 9}

For any three boxes in a group, the sum of their contents must be divisible by 3. We can place any multiple of 3 in the middle box of each group, and the other two boxes will have to be filled accordingly.

Explanation:

For Group 1:

If we place 3 in the middle box, then the boxes 1 and 7 must be filled with numbers that add up to a multiple of 3. We can choose from the following pairs: {1, 2}, {1, 5}, {4, 2}, {4, 5}, {7, 2}, {7, 5}. This gives us 6 possible ways to fill the boxes in Group 1.

If we place 6 in the middle box, then the boxes 1 and 7 must be filled with numbers that add up to a multiple of 3. We can choose from the following pairs: {1, 5}, {1, 8}, {4, 5}, {4, 8}, {7, 5}, {7, 8}. This gives us another 6 possible ways to fill the boxes in Group 1.

For Group 2:

If we place 3 in the middle box, then the boxes 2 and 8 must be filled with numbers that add up to a multiple of 3. We can choose from the following pairs: {1, 2}, {1, 5}, {4, 2}, {4, 5}, {7, 2}, {7, 5}. This gives us 6 possible ways to fill the boxes in Group 2.

If we place 6 in the middle box, then the boxes 2 and 8 must be filled with numbers that add up to a multiple of 3. We can choose from the following pairs: {1, 8}, {1, 5}, {4, 8}, {4, 5}, {7, 8}, {7, 5}. This gives us another 6 possible ways to fill the boxes in Group 2.

For Group 3:

If we place 3 in the middle box, then the boxes 3 and 9 must be filled with numbers that add up to a multiple of 3. We can choose from the following pairs: {2, 9}, {2, 6}, {5, 9}, {5, 6}, {8, 9}, {8, 6}. This gives us 6 possible ways to fill the boxes in Group 3.

If we place 6 in the middle box, then the boxes 3 and 9 must be filled with numbers that add up to a multiple of 3. We can choose from the following pairs: {2, 6}, {2, 3}, {5, 6}, {5, 3}, {8, 6}, {8, 3}. This gives us another 6 possible ways to fill the boxes in Group 3.

Therefore, the total number of ways to fill the boxes is:

6 x 6 x 6 x 6 = 1296.

Thus Bian can write the integers 1 to 9 in these ways.

hope it helps...

answered
User Jan Tumanov
by
8.2k points
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