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2006 AMC 10A Problems/Problem 18

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Problem

A license plate in a certain state consists of 4 digits, not necessarily distinct, and 2 letters, also not necessarily distinct. These six characters may appear in any order, except that the two letters must appear next to each other. How many distinct license plates are possible?

\mathrm{(A) \ } 10^4\times 26^2\qquad\mathrm{(B) \ } 10^3\times 26^3\qquad\mathrm{(C) \ } 5\times 10^4\times 26^2\qquad\mathr...

Solution

There are 10\cdot10\cdot10\cdot10 = 10^4 ways to choose 4 digits.

There are 26 \cdot 26 = 26^2 ways to choose the 2 letters.

For the letters to be next to each other, they can be the 1st and 2nd, 2nd and 3rd, 3rd and 4th, 4th and 5th, or the 5th and 6th characters. So, there are 6 - 1 = 5 choices for the position of the letters.

Therefore, the number of distinct license plates is 5\times 10^4\times 26^2 \Longrightarrow \mathrm{C}.

See also

2006 AMC 10A (ProblemsResources)
Preceded by
Problem 17
Followed by
Problem 19
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Want to learn how to tackle those tough MATHCOUNTS and AMC counting and probability problems? Check out Art of Problem Solving's Introduction to Counting & Probability by David Patrick.
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