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2006 AMC 10A Problem 20

Problem 20 of 25HarderNumber TheoryCounting & Probability

Six distinct positive integers are randomly chosen between 11 and 2006,2006, inclusive. What is the probability that some pair of these integers has a difference that is a multiple of 5?5?

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Solution

Group the integers by their remainder modulo 5.5. There are only 55 possible remainders but 66 integers, so by the Pigeonhole Principle two share a remainder. Their difference is then a multiple of 5.5. This always happens, so the probability is 1.1. Thus, the correct answer is E.

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Concepts: pigeonhole principle · modular arithmetic

Problem text and solution from the LIVE past-contest archive. See also the AoPS wiki page for community solutions.