SOLUTION: Hi tutors, can you help me answer this question? Thanks A three-digit number has all digits odd. How many such numbers are divisible by three? A. 29 B. 36 C. 39 D. 40 E.

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Question 978706: Hi tutors, can you help me answer this question? Thanks
A three-digit number has all digits odd. How many such numbers are divisible by three?
A. 29
B. 36
C. 39
D. 40
E. 41

Answer by KMST(5328) About Me  (Show Source):
You can put this solution on YOUR website!
I count highlight%2841%29 out of the 5%2A5%2A5=125 three-digit numbers whose digits are all odd.
I counted it through a shortcut, but it is still a messy, cumbersome way to count it.
Maybe the kids at the artofproblemsolving forum would have an elegant, streamlined way to count them.

HOW I COUNT THEM:
For a number to be divisible by 3 (multiple of 3), its digits must add to a multiple of 3.
I count 13 sets of 3 digits with all digits are odd, and they add to
a multiple of 3 (3, 6, 9, 12, 15, 18, 21, 24, or 27).
Those sets are:
{1,1,1} , {1,1,7} ,
{1,3,5} , {1,5,9} ,
{1,7,7} ,
{3,3,3} , {3,3,9} ,
{3,5,7} ,
{3,9,9} ,
{5,5,5} ,
{5,7,9} ,
{7,7,7} , and
{9,9,9} .

Among those 13 sets, 4 sets have 3 different digits,
Each of those 4 sets can be arranged in 3%2A2=6 different arrangements/permutations,
making 4%2A6=24 different three-digit numbers whose digits are all odd.

Among those 13 sets listed above,
there are also 5 sets made of just one single repeated digit,
and each one of those sets can be arranged just one way,
to form just one three-digit number,
so from them we can get another 5 three-digit numbers whose digits are all odd.

The remaining 4 of the 13 sets listed above contain only two different digits, one of them repeated.
Form each of those 4 sets, we can make 3 different three-digit numbers,
because there are 3 positions to place the unrepeated digit,
and that gives us another 4%2A3=12 three-digit numbers whose digits are all odd.

That makes a total of 24%2B5%2B12=highlight%2841%29 three-digit numbers divisible by 3, whose digits are all odd.