1994 AMC 12 Problem 30

Attempt Problem 30 of the 1994 AMC 12 below, then check your answer against the professionally curated solution from LIVE by Po-Shen Loh. You can also try the full timed exam, view all 1994 AMC 12 solutions, or check the answer key.

All problems are used with official legal permission of the Mathematical Association of America (MAA).

30.

When nn standard 66-sided dice are rolled, the probability of obtaining a sum of 19941994 is greater than zero and is the same as the probability of obtaining a sum of S.S. The smallest possible value of SS is
333333
335335
337337
339339
341341
Answer: C
Concepts:dice sumssymmetryextremal values
Small hint:
A sum of 19941994 is possible only when 6n≥19946n\ge1994
Big hint:
Replacing every die value dd by 7−d7-d pairs sums TT and 7n−T7n-T
Solution:
The smallest feasible number of dice is n=⌈19946⌉=333. n=\left\lceil\frac{1994}{6}\right\rceil=333. Replacing every die result dd by 7−d7-d is a bijection between outcomes of sum TT and outcomes of sum 7n−T.7n-T. Thus for n=333,n=333, the sum paired with 19941994 is S=7(333)−1994=337. S=7(333)-1994=337. Dice-sum counts increase strictly from the minimum sum up to the mean, so for any feasible nn no sum below 337337 can match the count at 1994.1994. Thus the smallest value is 337,337, and the correct answer is C.
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