Skip to main content
OlympiadHQ

Browse · harp

Print

jmc

counting and probability junior

Problem

In a sign pyramid a cell gets a "+" if the two cells below it have the same sign, and it gets a "-" if the two cells below it have different signs. The diagram below illustrates a sign pyramid with four levels. How many possible ways are there to fill the four cells in the bottom row to produce a "+" at the top of the pyramid?
problem
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
Solution
You could just make out all of the patterns that make the top positive. In this case, you would have the following patterns: +−−+, −++−, −−−−, ++++, −+−+, +−+−, ++−−, −−++. There are 8 patterns and so the answer is .
Final answer
C