CombinatoricsDifficulty 5.0AIMEFind the answerNetherlands
There is a power plant in the cell indicated by C. The cells indicated by X are places to which the power plant should be connected. This requires electricity masts in some cells, which we can indicate by placing an M in that cell. Two cells with a letter in them can be connected by a cable if the cells are adjacent at a side or a vertex. Ultimately, each cell with an X must be connected to the power plant via one or more cells with the letters M or X.
X
X
X
X
X
C
X
What is the minimum number of electricity masts needed? A) 3 B) 4 C) 5 D) 8 E) 9
This was a multiple-choice question, but the options didn't survive into the
source we have. The answer given is B, and the solution
below works it through.
Solution
B) 4
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Source: MathNet,
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