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2017 AMC 12A Problem 10

Problem 10 of 25EasierCounting & Probability

Chloé chooses a real number uniformly at random from the interval [0,2017].[0,2017]. Independently, Laurent chooses a real number uniformly at random from the interval [0,4034].[0,4034]. What is the probability that Laurent’s number is greater than Chloé’s number?

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Solution

With probability 12,\dfrac{1}{2}, Laurent’s number lies in [2017,4034],[2017,4034], which exceeds any number Chloé could choose, so he wins for certain. With the other probability 12,\dfrac{1}{2}, Laurent’s number lies in [0,2017],[0,2017], matching Chloé’s interval; by symmetry he is larger half the time. The total probability is 121+1212=34. \dfrac{1}{2}\cdot1+\dfrac{1}{2}\cdot\dfrac{1}{2}=\dfrac{3}{4}. Thus, the correct answer is C.

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Concepts: geometric probability · symmetry · complementary probability

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