tmua.me papers

tmua.me Tau Paper 2 · Q3

Paper 2Number & countingLogic & proof

Fifteen lamps are arranged in a circle and labelled 0,1,…,140,1,\ldots,14. All are initially off. Pressing switch ii changes the states of lamps ii, i+1i+1 and i+2i+2, with labels interpreted modulo 1515.

A configuration is called reachable if some finite sequence of presses produces it. For a reachable configuration SS, let d(S)d(S) be the fewest presses needed to produce it.

Let DD be the largest value of d(S)d(S), and let HH be the number of reachable configurations for which d(S)=Dd(S)=D.

Which pair (D,H)(D,H) is correct?

A(8,2000)(8,2000)
B(7,500)(7,500)
C(8,1000)(8,1000)
D(7,1000)(7,1000)
E(7,4000)(7,4000)

Read the questions freely. Sign in to check your answer, see the worked solution and save your progress.