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2020 AMC 10A Problem 18

Problem 18 of 25IntermediateAlgebraNumber TheoryCounting & Probability

Let (a,b,c,d)(a,b,c,d) be an ordered quadruple of not necessarily distinct integers, each one of them in the set {0,1,2,3}.\{0,1,2,3\}. For how many such quadruples is it true that adbca\cdot d-b\cdot c is odd? (For example, (0,3,1,1)(0,3,1,1) is one such quadruple, because 0131=30\cdot 1-3\cdot 1 = -3 is odd.)

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Solution

Only parity matters. Modulo 22, the condition is that adbcad-bc is 11, meaning the matrix (abcd)\begin{pmatrix}a&b\\ c&d\end{pmatrix} is invertible over F2\mathbb F_2. There are (41)(42)=6(4-1)(4-2)=6 invertible 2×22\times2 matrices over F2\mathbb F_2. Each parity pattern lifts to 24=162^4=16 choices from {0,1,2,3}\{0,1,2,3\}, so there are 616=966\cdot16=96 quadruples. Thus, C is the correct answer.

More practice

Concepts: parity · determinant · multiplication principle

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