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Combinatorics Difficulty 4.8 AIME Find the answer

The function f:Z2Zf: \mathbb{Z}^{2} \rightarrow \mathbb{Z} satisfies - f(x,0)=f(0,y)=0f(x, 0)=f(0, y)=0, and - f(x,y)=f(x1,y)+f(x,y1)+x+yf(x, y)=f(x-1, y)+f(x, y-1)+x+y for all nonnegative integers xx and yy. Find f(6,12)f(6,12).

A number or a short expression. Spacing and $ signs are ignored.

Solution

We claim f(x,y)=(x+y+2x+1)(x+y+2)f(x, y)=\binom{x+y+2}{x+1}-(x+y+2). Indeed, the hypothesis holds true for our base cases f(x,0)f(x, 0) and f(0,y)f(0, y), and moreover, f(x1,y)+f(x,y1)+x+y=(x+y+1x)+(x+y+1x+1)2(x+y+1)+x+y=(x+y+2x+1)(x+y+2)f(x-1, y)+f(x, y-1)+x+y=\binom{x+y+1}{x}+\binom{x+y+1}{x+1}-2(x+y+1)+x+y=\binom{x+y+2}{x+1}-(x+y+2). Thus, the final answer is (207)20=77500\binom{20}{7}-20=77500. Here is a way to derive this formula from scratch. The idea is that the second condition harks back to the Pascal's triangle rule, sans some modifications. Write f(x,y)=g(x,y)xyf(x, y)=g(x, y)-x-y, so then g(0,t)=g(t,0)=tg(0, t)=g(t, 0)=t and g(x,y)=g(x1,y)+g(x,y1)+2g(x, y)=g(x-1, y)+g(x, y-1)+2. Then, letting g(x,y)=h(x,y)2g(x, y)=h(x, y)-2 gives h(x,y)=h(x1,y)+h(x,y1)h(x, y)=h(x-1, y)+h(x, y-1), which is exactly Pascal's rule. We are given the base cases h(0,t)=h(t,0)=t+2h(0, t)=h(t, 0)=t+2, which is starting "inside" of Pascal's triangle, so h(x,y)=(x+y+2x+1)h(x, y)=\binom{x+y+2}{x+1}.

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Source: Omni-MATH, licensed Apache-2.0. Statement and solution reproduced as published; topic and difficulty added by this site.