2024 SSMO Relay Round 4 Problems/Problem 1

Problem

Freddy the Frog can jump $1$ unit right or up. He is at $(1,1)$ and wants to get to $(7, 4)$. However, he is scared of points $(3, 1)$ and $(3, 2)$ and will not hop onto those points. How many ways can he reach his destination?

Solution

Using the Principle of Inclusion and Exclusion, the answer is the number of ways to get to $(7,4)$ minus the number of ways to get to $(7,4)$ passing through $(3,1)$ minus the number of ways to get to $(7,4)$ passing through $(3,2)$ plus the number of ways to get to $(7,4)$ passing through both $(3,1)$ r $(3,2).$ This is equivalent to \[\binom{11}{4}-\binom{4}{1}\binom{7}{3}-\binom{5}{2}\binom{6}{2}+\binom{4}{1}\binom{6}{2} = 330-140-150+60 = \boxed{100}.\]

~SMO_Team