Maths Olympiad Prep

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Problem 742

AMC 10/12, early questions
Combinatorics Difficulty 3.6 Find the answer PMO National Stage Oral Phase · Philippines

How many solutions does the equation x+y+z=2016x+y+z=2016 have, where xx, yy and zz are integers with x>1000x>1000, y>600y>600, and z>400z>400?

A number or a short expression. Fractions can be typed as 3/2, and spacing doesn't matter.

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Official solution

Solution:

First, note that the equation is equivalent to (x−1001)+(y−601)+(z−401)=13(x-1001)+(y-601)+(z-401)=13. Letting x′=x−1001x' = x-1001, y′=y−601y' = y-601, and z′=z−401z' = z-401, we can instead count the number of solutions of x′+y′+z′=13x' + y' + z' = 13, where x′x', y′y', z′z' are nonnegative integers. Now note that each solution (x′,y′,z′)(x', y', z') to this equation corresponds to a way of choosing 13 items from a pile of objects of 3 types; the number of such choices is
(13+3−113)=15!13!2!=105 \binom{13+3-1}{13} = \frac{15!}{13!2!} = 105

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