document.write( "Question 1202852: In a certain city, there are seven streets going north-south and five streets going east-west. How many street paths start at the southwest corner of the city, end at the northeast corner of the city, and have the shortest possible length?
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Algebra.Com's Answer #838017 by ikleyn(52787)![]() ![]() You can put this solution on YOUR website! . \n" ); document.write( "In a certain city, there are seven streets going north-south and five streets going east-west. \n" ); document.write( "How many street paths start at the southwest corner of the city, end at the northeast corner of the city, \n" ); document.write( "and have the shortest possible length? \n" ); document.write( "~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~\r \n" ); document.write( " \n" ); document.write( "\n" ); document.write( " \r\n" ); document.write( "Each such path is a combination of elementary 7 south->north parts/blocs and \r\n" ); document.write( "5 west->east parts/blocks, 7+5 = 12 blocks, in total.\r\n" ); document.write( "\r\n" ); document.write( "\r\n" ); document.write( "So, using designation/letter V for south->north blocks (\"vertical\") and designation/letter H (\"horizontal\") \r\n" ); document.write( "for west->east blocks, each path can be coded as a word of 12 letters \"V\" and \"H\".\r\n" ); document.write( "\r\n" ); document.write( "\r\n" ); document.write( "There is one-to-one correspondence between such paths and such words.\r\n" ); document.write( "\r\n" ); document.write( "\r\n" ); document.write( "So, we can say that the number of paths equals the number of words of the length 12,\r\n" ); document.write( "written using letter V and H. Repeating of letters is allowed.\r\n" ); document.write( "\r\n" ); document.write( "\r\n" ); document.write( "From Combinatorics, it is known that the number of such words is \r\n" ); document.write( "\r\n" ); document.write( "\r \n" ); document.write( "\n" ); document.write( "Solved.\r \n" ); document.write( " \n" ); document.write( "\n" ); document.write( "-------------------\r \n" ); document.write( " \n" ); document.write( "\n" ); document.write( "The closest combinatorial problem is this:\r \n" ); document.write( " \n" ); document.write( "\n" ); document.write( " \r\n" ); document.write( " How many distinguishable ways are there to place in line 7 red and 5 white balls, if they distinct only by color ?\"\r\n" ); document.write( "\r \n" ); document.write( " \n" ); document.write( "\n" ); document.write( "//////////////////\r \n" ); document.write( " \n" ); document.write( " \n" ); document.write( "\n" ); document.write( "To see many other similar (and different) solved problems, look into the lesson\r \n" ); document.write( "\n" ); document.write( " - Arranging elements of sets containing indistinguishable elements \r \n" ); document.write( "\n" ); document.write( "in this site.\r \n" ); document.write( " \n" ); document.write( " \n" ); document.write( "\n" ); document.write( " \n" ); document.write( " |