2004 AMC 10B Problem 23
Problem 23 of 25HarderGeometryCounting & Probability
Each face of a cube is painted either red or blue, each with probability The color of each face is determined independently. What is the probability that the painted cube can be placed on a horizontal surface so that the four vertical faces are all the same color?
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Solution
Fixing the orientation, there are colorings.
A coloring works if all six faces match ( ways), exactly five match ( ways), or four faces share a color with the remaining pair being opposite faces of the other color ( opposite pairs, colors, giving ways).
The total is so the probability is
Thus, the correct answer is B.