Olympiad problems

1983 AIME Problems, 7

Twenty five of King Arthur's knights are seated at their customary round table. Three of them are chosen - all choices of three being equally likely - and are sent off to slay a troublesome dragon. Let $P$ be the probability that at least two of the three had been sitting next to each other. If $P$ is written as a fraction in lowest terms, what is the sum of the numerator and denominator?

2021 JHMT HS, 7

Tags: general , probability

At a prom, there are $4$ boys and $3$ girls. Each boy picks a girl to dance with, and each girl picks a boy to dance with. Assuming that each choice is uniformly random, the probability that at least one boy and one girl choose each other as dance partners is $\tfrac{p}{q},$ where $p$ and $q$ are relatively prime positive integers. Compute $p+q.$

2004 Miklós Schweitzer, 5

Tags: probability

Let $G$ be a non-solvable finite group and let $\varepsilon > 0$. Show that there exist a positive integer $k$ and a word $w\in F_k$ such that $w$ assumes the value $1$ with probability less than $\varepsilon$ when its $k$ arguments are considered to be independent and uniformly distributed random variables with values in $G$. (We write $F_k$ for the free group generated by $k$ elements.)

2016 Fall CHMMC, 3

Tags: probability

A gambler offers you a $2$ dollar ticket to play the following game: First, you pick a real number $0 \leq p \leq 1$, then you are given a weighted coin that comes up heads with probability $p$. If you receive $1$ dollar the [i]first[/i] time you flip a tail, and if you receive $2$ dollars [i]first[/i] time you flip a head, what is the optimal expected net winning of flipping the coin twice?

2019 AIME Problems, 2

Tags: probability

Lily pads $1,2,3,\ldots$ lie in a row on a pond. A frog makes a sequence of jumps starting on pad $1$. From any pad $k$ the frog jumps to either pad $k+1$ or pad $k+2$ chosen randomly and independently with probability $\tfrac12$. The probability that the frog visits pad $7$ is $\tfrac pq$, where $p$ and $q$ are relatively prime positive integers. Find $p+q$.

2007 Putnam, 3

Tags: binomial coefficient , probability , counting , distinguishability , factorial , function

Let $ k$ be a positive integer. Suppose that the integers $ 1,2,3,\dots,3k \plus{} 1$ are written down in random order. What is the probability that at no time during this process, the sum of the integers that have been written up to that time is a positive integer divisible by $ 3$ ? Your answer should be in closed form, but may include factorials.

2013 AMC 12/AHSME, 22

Tags: probability

A palindrome is a nonnegative integer number that reads the same forwards and backwards when written in base 10 with no leading zeros. A 6-digit palindrome $n$ is chosen uniformly at random. What is the probability that $\frac{n}{11}$ is also a palindrome? $ \textbf{(A)} \ \frac{8}{25} \qquad \textbf{(B)} \ \frac{33}{100} \qquad \textbf{(C)} \ \frac{7}{20} \qquad \textbf{(D)} \ \frac{9}{25} \qquad \textbf{(E)} \ \frac{11}{30}$

2005 AMC 10, 18

Tags: probability

Team $ A$ and team $ B$ play a series. The first team to win three games wins the series. Each team is equally likely to win each game, there are no ties, and the outcomes of the individual games are independent. If team $ B$ wins the second game and team $ A$ wins the series, what is the probability that team $ B$ wins the first game? $ \textbf{(A)}\ \frac{1}{5}\qquad \textbf{(B)}\ \frac{1}{4}\qquad \textbf{(C)}\ \frac{1}{3}\qquad \textbf{(D)}\ \frac{1}{2}\qquad \textbf{(E)}\ \frac{2}{3}$

2009 AMC 8, 13

Tags: probability

A three-digit integer contains one of each of the digits $ 1$, $ 3$, and $ 5$. What is the probability that the integer is divisible by $ 5$? $ \textbf{(A)}\ \frac{1}{6} \qquad \textbf{(B)}\ \frac{1}{3} \qquad \textbf{(C)}\ \frac{1}{2} \qquad \textbf{(D)}\ \frac{2}{3} \qquad \textbf{(E)}\ \frac{5}{6}$

2014 Contests, 4

Tags: probability

What is the probability of having $2$ adjacent white balls or $2$ adjacent blue balls in a random arrangement of $3$ red, $2$ white and $2$ blue balls? $ \textbf{(A)}\ \dfrac{2}{5} \qquad\textbf{(B)}\ \dfrac{3}{7} \qquad\textbf{(C)}\ \dfrac{16}{35} \qquad\textbf{(D)}\ \dfrac{10}{21} \qquad\textbf{(E)}\ \dfrac{5}{14} $

2023 CCA Math Bonanza, L1.1

Tags: probability

If 100 dice are rolled, what is the probability that the sum of the numbers rolled is even? [i]Lightning 1.1[/i]

1984 Polish MO Finals, 4

Tags: coin , probability , recurrence relation , sum , sequence

A coin is tossed $n$ times, and the outcome is written in the form ($a_1,a_2,...,a_n$), where $a_i = 1$ or $2$ depending on whether the result of the $i$-th toss is the head or the tail, respectively. Set $b_j = a_1 +a_2 +...+a_j$ for $j = 1,2,...,n$, and let $p(n)$ be the probability that the sequence $b_1,b_2,...,b_n$ contains the number $n$. Express $p(n)$ in terms of $p(n-1)$ and $p(n-2)$.

1984 Miklós Schweitzer, 9

Tags: probability , function

[b]9.[/b] Let $X_0, X_1, \dots $ be independent, indentically distributed, nondegenerate random variables, and let $0<\alpha <1$ be a real number. Assume that the series $\sum_{k=1}^{\infty} \alpha^{k} X_k$ is convergent with probability one. Prove that the distribution function of the sum is continuous. ([b]P. 23[/b]) [T. F. Móri]

2006 Stanford Mathematics Tournament, 7

Tags: probability

An aircraft is equipped with three engines that operate independently. The probability of an engine failure is .01. What is the probability of a successful flight if only one engine is needed for the successful operation of the aircraft?

2001 Putnam, 2

Tags: probability , function , induction , rational function

For each $k$, $\mathcal{C}_k$ is biased so that, when tossed, it has probability $\tfrac{1}{(2k+1)}$ of falling heads. If the $n$ coins are tossed, what is the probability that the number of heads is odd? Express the answer as a rational function $n$.

2018 AIME Problems, 13

Tags: dice , probability

Misha rolls a standard, fair six-sided die until she rolls $1$-$2$-$3$ in that order on three consecutive rolls. The probability that she will roll the die an odd number of times is $\tfrac{m}{n}$, where $m$ and $n$ are relatively prime positive integers. Find $m+n$.

2019 LIMIT Category C, Problem 8

Tags: probability

Let $X_1,X_2,\ldots$ be a sequence of independent random variables distributed exponentially with mean $1$. Suppose $\mathbb N$ is a random variable independent of $X_i$'s that has a Poisson distribution with mean $\lambda>0$. What is the expected value of $X_1+X_2+\ldots+X_N$? $\textbf{(A)}~N^2$ $\textbf{(B)}~\lambda+\lambda^2$ $\textbf{(C)}~\lambda^2$ $\textbf{(D)}~\lambda$

2014 Math Prize For Girls Problems, 13

Tags: probability

Deepali has a bag containing 10 red marbles and 10 blue marbles (and nothing else). She removes a random marble from the bag. She keeps doing so until all of the marbles remaining in the bag have the same color. Compute the probability that Deepali ends with exactly 3 marbles remaining in the bag.

2005 AMC 12/AHSME, 14

Tags: probability

On a standard die one of the dots is removed at random with each dot equally likely to be chosen. The die is then rolled. What is the probability that the top face has an odd number of dots? $ \textbf{(A)}\ \frac {5}{11} \qquad \textbf{(B)} \ \frac {10}{21} \qquad \textbf{(C)}\ \frac {1}{2} \qquad \textbf{(D)} \ \frac {11}{21} \qquad \textbf{(E)}\ \frac {6}{11}$

2003 AMC 10, 15

Tags: probability , geometry , rectangle , floor function

What is the probability that an integer in the set $ \{1,2,3,\ldots,100\}$ is divisible by $ 2$ and not divisible by $ 3$? $ \textbf{(A)}\ \frac{1}{6} \qquad \textbf{(B)}\ \frac{33}{100} \qquad \textbf{(C)}\ \frac{17}{50} \qquad \textbf{(D)}\ \frac{1}{2} \qquad \textbf{(E)}\ \frac{18}{25}$

2023 AMC 10, 19

Tags: probability

Sonya the frog chooses a point uniformly at random lying within the square $[0, 6] \times [0, 6]$ in the coordinate plane and hops to that point. She then randomly chooses a distance uniformly at random from $[0, 1]$ and a direction uniformly at random from {north, south east, west}. All he choices are independent. She now hops the distance in the chosen direction. What is the probability that she lands outside the square? $\textbf{(A) } \frac{1}{6} \qquad \textbf{(B) } \frac{1}{12} \qquad \textbf{(C) } \frac{1}{4} \qquad \textbf{(D) } \frac{1}{10} \qquad \textbf{(E) } \frac{1}{9}$

1996 AMC 8, 25

Tags: probability , symmetry , ratio , geometry

A point is chosen at random from within a circular region. What is the probability that the point is closer to the center of the region than it is to the boundary of the region? $\text{(A)}\ 1/4 \qquad \text{(B)}\ 1/3 \qquad \text{(C)}\ 1/2 \qquad \text{(D)}\ 2/3 \qquad \text{(E)}\ 3/4$

2009 Harvard-MIT Mathematics Tournament, 7

Tags: probability , expected value

Paul fills in a $7\times7$ grid with the numbers $1$ through $49$ in a random arrangement. He then erases his work and does the same thing again, to obtain two different random arrangements of the numbers in the grid. What is the expected number of pairs of numbers that occur in either the same row as each other or the same column as each other in both of the two arrangements?

1997 Poland - Second Round, 5

Tags: sum , probability , dice , remainder , number theory , combinatorics

We have thrown $k$ white dice and $m$ black dice. Find the probability that the remainder modulo $7$ of the sum of the numbers on the white dice is equal to the remainder modulo $7$ of the sum of the numbers on the black dice.

1979 Miklós Schweitzer, 11

Tags: probability , probability and stats

Let $ \{\xi_{k \ell} \}_{k,\ell=1}^{\infty}$ be a double sequence of random variables such that \[ \Bbb{E}( \xi_{ij} \xi_{k\ell})= \mathcal{O} \left(\frac{ \log(2|i-k|+2)}{ \log(2|j-\ell|+2)^{2}}\right) \;\;\;(i,j,k,\ell =1,2, \ldots ) \\\ .\] Prove that with probability one, \[ \frac{1}{mn} \sum_{k=1}^m \sum_{\ell=1}^n \xi_{k\ell} \rightarrow 0 \;\;\textrm{as} \; \max (m,n)\rightarrow \infty\ \\ .\] [i]F. Moricz[/i]