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2007 AMC 12A Problem 16

Problem 16 of 25IntermediateAlgebraNumber TheoryProblem-Solving Techniques

How many three-digit numbers are composed of three distinct digits such that one digit is the average of the other two?

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Solution

The three distinct digits form an increasing arithmetic progression. Counting by common difference: 88 with difference 1,1, 66 with difference 2,2, 44 with difference 3,3, and 22 with difference 4,4, for 2020 sets. Of these, 44 sets contain 00 (namely {0,1,2},\{0,1,2\}, {0,2,4},\{0,2,4\}, {0,3,6},\{0,3,6\}, {0,4,8}\{0,4,8\}); each yields 2⋅2!=42\cdot 2!=4 valid numbers since 00 cannot lead. The other 1616 sets each yield 3!=63!=6 numbers. The total is 4⋅4+16⋅6=112.4\cdot 4+16\cdot 6=112. Thus, the correct answer is C.
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