Al, Bill, and Cal will each randomly be assigned a whole number from to , inclusive, with no two of them getting the same number. What is the probability that Al's number will be a whole number multiple of Bill's and Bill's number will be a whole number multiple of Cal's?
Pick one
Solution
We can solve this problem with a brute force approach.
If Cal's number is :
If Bill's number is , Al's can be any of .
If Bill's number is , Al's can be any of .
If Bill's number is , Al's can be .
If Bill's number is , Al's can be .
Otherwise, Al's number could not be a whole number multiple of Bill's.
If Cal's number is :
If Bill's number is , Al's can be .
Otherwise, Al's number could not be a whole number multiple of Bill's while Bill's number is still a whole number multiple of Cal's.
Otherwise, Bill's number must be greater than , i.e. Al's number could not be a whole number multiple of Bill's.
Clearly, there are exactly cases where Al's number will be a whole number multiple of Bill's and Bill's number will be a whole number multiple of Cal's. Since there are possible permutations of the numbers Al, Bill, and Cal were assigned, the probability that this is true is