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Date May 2022 Marks available 3 Reference code 22M.2.AHL.TZ1.9
Level Additional Higher Level Paper Paper 2 Time zone Time zone 1
Command term Find Question number 9 Adapted from N/A

Question

Mary, three female friends, and her brother, Peter, attend the theatre. In the theatre there is a row of 10 empty seats. For the first half of the show, they decide to sit next to each other in this row.

For the second half of the show, they return to the same row of 10 empty seats. The four girls decide to sit at least one seat apart from Peter. The four girls do not have to sit next to each other.

Find the number of ways these five people can be seated in this row.

[3]
a.

Find the number of ways these five people can now be seated in this row.

[4]
b.

Markscheme

6×5!             (A1)(A1)

=720  (accept 6!)             A1

 

[3 marks]

a.

METHOD 1

(Peter apart from girls, in an end seat)  P48=1680 OR

(Peter apart from girls, not in end seat)  P47=840             (A1)

case 1: Peter at either end 

2×P48=3360  OR  2×C48×4!=3360             (A1)

case 2: Peter not at the end

8×P47=6720  OR  8×C47×4!=6720             (A1)

Total number of ways =3360+6720

=10080             A1

 

METHOD 2

(Peter next to girl, in an end seat) 4×P38=1344  OR

(Peter next to one girl, not in end seat) 2×4×P37=1680  OR

(Peter next to two girls, not in end seat)  4×3×P27=504             (A1)

case 1: Peter at either end

2×4×P38=2688             (A1)

case 2: Peter not at the end

82×4×P37+4×3×P27=17472             (A1)

Total number of ways =P510-2688+17472

=10080             A1

 

[4 marks]

b.

Examiners report

[N/A]
a.
[N/A]
b.

Syllabus sections

Topic 1—Number and algebra » AHL 1.10—Perms and combs, binomial with negative and fractional indices
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Topic 1—Number and algebra

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