AoPSWiki
Looking for a challenging geometry text? Preparing for MATHCOUNTS or the AMC exams? Check out Art of Problem Solving's Introduction to Geometry by Richard Rusczyk.

2008 AMC 10B Problems/Problem 21

From AoPSWiki

Problem

Ten chairs are evenly spaced around a round table. Five married couples are to sit in the chairs with men and women alternating, and no one is to sit either next to or across from his/her spouse. How many seating arrangements are possible?

\mathrm{(A)}\ 240\qquad\mathrm{(B)}\ 360\qquad\mathrm{(C)}\ 480\qquad\mathrm{(D)}\ 540\qquad\mathrm{(E)}\ 720

Solution

For the first man, there are 10 possible seats. For each subsequent man, there are 4, 3, 2, and 1 possible seats. After the men are seated, there are only two possible arrangements for the five women. The answer is 10\cdot 4\cdot 3\cdot 2\cdot 1\cdot 2 = \boxed{480}.

See also

2008 AMC 10B (ProblemsResources)
Preceded by
Problem 20
Followed by
Problem 22
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25
Looking for a challenging geometry text? Preparing for MATHCOUNTS or the AMC exams? Check out Art of Problem Solving's Introduction to Geometry by Richard Rusczyk.
© Copyright 2008 AoPS Incorporated. All Rights Reserved. • FoundationPrivacyContact Us