SOLUTION: In how many ways can 5 different cars be parked in a numbered circular parking lot such that two specific cars remain adjacent?

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Question 1210249: In how many ways can 5 different cars be parked in a numbered circular parking lot such that two specific cars remain adjacent?
Answer by ikleyn(52776)   (Show Source): You can put this solution on YOUR website!
.
In how many ways can 5 different cars be parked in a numbered circular parking lot
such that two specific cars remain adjacent?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

As usual in such problems, we consider two specific cars as one block/unit.


So, now we have circular permutations of 4 objects.

The number of such circular permutations is (4-1)! = 3! = 1*2*3 = 6.


Also, there are 2 permutations inside the block, giving 2*6 = 12 different/distinguishable 
arrangements.


It is how everything works for circular permutations.


But in our case, the parking places are  .


Therefore, for 4 objects, we should multiply 12 by 4, because with numbered places,
we can start from any of 4 places from 1 to 4, which gives 4 times as many arrangements
as for the simple circular permutations case.


Thus the final answer is 4*(2*3!) = 4*12 = 48 different distinguishable arrangements.    ANSWER.


                +--------------------------------------------------+
                |   Another solution - another way of reasoning.   |
                +--------------------------------------------------+


For the two specific paired cars, we have 4 possible positions in the circular lot of 5 places.

We also have 2 possible permutations inside the pair.


For each such configurations of the two specific cars, we have (5-2)! = 3! = 6 possible permutations 
of the remaining 3 cars in 3 remaining positions.


The product 4*(2*3!) = 4*(2*6) =  4*12 = 48  gives the same answer 48.

Solved by two different ways for your better understanding.


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After completing my solution, I submitted this problem to the Google AI.
In response, I got the solution by the Google AI of 04/30/2025 under this link

https://www.google.com/search?q=In+how+many+ways+can+5+different+cars+be+parked+in+a+numbered+circular+parking+lot+such+that+two+specific+cars+remain+adjacent%3F&rlz=1C1CHBF_enUS1071US1071&oq=In+how+many+ways+can+5+different+cars+be+parked+in+a+numbered+circular+parking+lot+such+that+two+specific+cars+remain+adjacent%3F&gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUyBggAEEUYOTIGCAEQRRg8MgYIAhBFGDzSAQkxNzE3ajBqMTWoAgiwAgHxBYrhun20T2Vf8QWK4bp9tE9lXw&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

Their solution was incorrect: the AI incorrectly treated the problem.

It treated it in the way as if the parking places were unnumbered
(i.e. as if the problem would be for standard circular permutations).


Naturally, I posted them my notice saying that their solution was incorrect.


It confirms the basic truth: the AI in its current version works perfectly,
if it finds a source in the Internet to re-write from;
and it is powerless, when it does not find such a source in the Internet to re-write from.



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