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jmc

counting and probability senior

Problem

An ant moves on the following lattice, beginning at the dot labeled . Each minute he moves to one of the dots neighboring the dot he was at, choosing from among its neighbors at random. What is the probability that after 5 minutes he is at the dot labeled ?
problem
Solution
Color the dots red and blue as shown below. Notice that whenever the ant moves, it moves from a red dot to a blue dot or a blue dot to a red dot. So since is a red dot, it must move to a blue dot, then a red dot, then a blue dot, then a red dot, and end up on a blue dot. There are only four blue dots, and the ant is equally likely to end up on any one of these four, since the diagram is symmetric to a rotation. The probability that the ant ends on after five minutes is therefore .
Final answer
\frac{1}{4}