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2009 AMC 10B Problem 11

Problem 11 of 25IntermediateNumber TheoryCounting & Probability

How many 77-digit palindromes (numbers that read the same backward as forward) can be formed using the digits 2,2, 2,2, 3,3, 3,3, 5,5, 5,5, 5?5?

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Solution

A 77-digit palindrome has the form with the middle digit used once and the outer three digits each used twice. Only 55 appears an odd number of times, so 55 must be the middle digit. The remaining digits 2,3,52,3,5 fill the first three positions in some order and mirror to the last three. There are 3!=63!=6 such orderings. Thus, the correct answer is A.

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Concepts: palindrome · permutations · parity

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