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HSC 2016 MX1 Marathon (archive) (3 Viewers)

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Paradoxica

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Re: HSC 2016 3U Marathon

Alternatively, the result is instantly true by the Quadratic-Arithmetic Mean Inequality.

 
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leehuan

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Re: HSC 2016 3U Marathon

What would be the fastest way to prove this?

 

InteGrand

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Re: HSC 2016 3U Marathon

What would be the fastest way to prove this?

That's equivalent to arcsin(3/5) + pi/2 – arctan(24/7) = pi/2 – arcsin(3/5) <==> 2arcsin(3/5) = arctan(24/7).

The above can be proved by taking the sines of both sides (you can draw a triangle to assist with finding sin(RHS) and use double-angle formula and Pythagorean identity for sin(LHS)). Then argue that LHS and RHS are both acute, which means that if their sines are equal, then they are equal.

The RHS is clearly an acute angle (i.e. is in the range (0, pi/2)). For the LHS, note that 0 < arcsin(3/5) < arcsin(sqrt(2)/2) = pi/4, since 3/5 < sqrt(2)/2, since (3/5)^2 < 1/2, and 3/5 and sqrt(2)/2 are both positive. Hence LHS = 2*arcsin(3/5) is in the range (0, pi/2).
 
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Jeff_

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Re: HSC 2016 3U Marathon

Permutations question: 6 men and 3 women have a choice of two tables - a 4-seated round table and a 5-seated round table. In how many ways can they be seated if there is at least one woman sitting at the 5-seated round table?
 

Ambility

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Re: HSC 2016 3U Marathon

Permutations question: 6 men and 3 women have a choice of two tables - a 4-seated round table and a 5-seated round table. In how many ways can they be seated if there is at least one woman sitting at the 5-seated round table?
My attempt:
 

InteGrand

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Re: HSC 2016 3U Marathon

wu345's answer is correct. It would be an instructive exercise to find the flaw with the method posted by Ambility.
 

Jeff_

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Re: HSC 2016 3U Marathon

wu345's answer is correct. It would be an instructive exercise to find the flaw with the method posted by Ambility.
It's probably because it's supposed to be a permutations question.

EDIT. lemme rethink this lol
 
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InteGrand

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Re: HSC 2016 3U Marathon

It's probably because it's supposed to be a permutations question.

EDIT. Although if I didn't say it was a permutations question, could it have been a combinations question?

EDIT 2. I don't think I've encountered any "round table" questions with combinations.
The term posted for Ambility's no. of ways to seat people in the 5-seat table is incorrect. Can anyone explain what was the reasoning behind Ambility's expression for that, and why it is not quite right? (Just focus on the numerator.)
 
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Jeff_

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Re: HSC 2016 3U Marathon

Can someone explain why they divided by 5 or 4 in the denominator? I'm having a mind blank here. (Or is this because it's combinations, because I haven't really learned much of that yet?)
 

InteGrand

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Re: HSC 2016 3U Marathon

Can someone explain why they divided by 5 or 4 in the denominator? I'm having a mind blank here. (Or is this because it's combinations, because I haven't really learned much of that yet?)
The reason for that is to account for the rotational symmetry of the seating in tables. It's standard required knowledge for 3U perms and combs for circular arrangements.
 

Jeff_

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Re: HSC 2016 3U Marathon

The reason for that is to account for the rotational symmetry of the seating in tables. It's standard required knowledge for 3U perms and combs for circular arrangements.
I'm laughing at myself now :( I usually just do (n-1)! eg. 3! for a 4-seated instead of 4!/4
 

InteGrand

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Re: HSC 2016 3U Marathon

I'm laughing at myself now :( I usually just do (n-1)! eg. 3! for a 4-seated instead of 4!/4
Yeah, they're equivalent methods. The reason those people did divisions by 5 etc. instead was that they found the ways of getting people for the table from the entire group of people first, and this generally in nPr form, rather than a factorial form, so they divided that by 5 and couldn't just straightaway do a 4!. To do the 4! thing we could first choose people for that table in the appropriate way, and then multiply by 4!.
 
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