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2018 AMC 10B Problem 5

Problem 5 of 25EasierNumber TheoryCounting & Probability

How many subsets of {2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9}\{2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9\} contain at least one prime number?

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Solution

Count the complement. The set has 28=2562^8 = 256 subsets total. A subset avoids every prime exactly when it sticks to the non-primes {4,6,8,9},\{4, 6, 8, 9\}, and there are 24=162^4 = 16 of those. So 25616=240256 - 16 = 240 subsets contain at least one prime. Thus, D is the correct answer.

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Concepts: subsets · complementary counting · prime

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