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jmc

counting and probability junior

Problem

In the arrangement of letters and numerals below, by how many different paths can one spell AMC8? Beginning at the A in the middle, a path only allows moves from one letter to an adjacent (above, below, left, or right, but not diagonal) letter. One example of such a path is traced in the picture.
problem
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
Solution
Notice that the upper-most section contains a 3 by 3 square that looks like: It has 6 paths in which you can spell out AMC8. You will find four identical copies of this square in the figure, so multiply to get total paths.
Final answer
D