Solution 1: Clearly, a1+(a2−a1)+(a3−a2)+(14−a3)=14, where a1⩾1,a2−a1⩾3,a3−a2⩾3,14−a3⩾0. Transform the equation to:
(a1−1)+(a2−a1−3)+(a3−a2−3)+(14−a3)=7.
At this point, a1−1,a2−a1−3,a3−a2−3,14−a3⩾0. The above indeterminate equation has C107=C103 different non-negative integer solutions. Therefore, the number of different ways to meet the requirements is C103=120.
Solution 2: Let S={1,2,⋯,14},S′={1,2,⋯,10},{a1,a2,a3} be a three-element subset of S, and {a1′,a2′,a3′} be a three-element subset of S′, satisfying a1′=a1,a2′=a2−2,a3′=a3−4, i.e., establish the following correspondence:
(a1,a2,a3)→(a1′,a2′,a3′)=(a1,a2−2,a3−4).
Clearly, this is a one-to-one correspondence from S to S′. Thus, the number of ways to choose is equal to the number of ways to choose any three different numbers from S′, which is C103=120.
Solution 3: Construct the following model:
Take 10 identical white balls and arrange them in a row. Take 5 different black balls and divide them into 3 groups in the order of 2,2,1, then insert them into the 10 gaps between the white balls, from left to right, excluding the left end but including the right end. The number of insertion methods is C103. Each insertion method corresponds to an ordered array, as shown in the figure:
Thus, the number of different methods is C103=120.