Worksheet generator

1.C — 8KA-0012Casework

• AI counted each pair of digits once instead of counting both orders, such as 17 and 71.
• BI listed the pairs starting from 1 and 7 and forgot the number 80, where the second digit is zero.
• DI included 08 as a two-digit number, but a two-digit number cannot start with zero.
• EI counted both orders of every pair and then counted the pairs that reverse to themselves twice as well.

2.D — 19KA-0018Complementary counting

• AI counted the codes that avoid 3 entirely and gave that as my answer without subtracting.
• BI counted the codes with a 3 in the first position only and forgot the other two positions.
• CI counted the codes with exactly one 3 and forgot the ones with two or three of them.
• EI counted every possible code and forgot to remove the ones with no 3 at all.

3.A — 8KA-0031Counting paths on a grid

• BI assumed closing one junction removes about half the routes and halved the total of 20.
• CI counted the routes that pass through the closed junction and gave that instead of the ones that avoid it.
• DI subtracted only the 2 routes that reach the closed junction, not all the routes that continue through it.
• EI counted every route on the open grid and forgot to remove the ones through the closed junction.

4.C — 4KA-0040The pigeonhole principle

• AI answered with the lucky case, where the first two socks happen to match.
• BI used the number of colours as my answer without adding one for the sock that must repeat.
• DI worked from the number of socks of each colour instead of the number of colours.
• EI took the whole drawer, guaranteeing a pair but far more socks than are needed.

5.A — 12KA-0071Overcount, then correct

• BI divided the 120 arrangements by 6 rather than by the 10 movements that leave a bracelet looking the same.
• CI allowed for turning the bracelet but forgot it can also be flipped over.
• DI halved the 120 for flipping but forgot that turning also gives the same bracelet.
• EI counted every arrangement in a line, as if the bracelet had a fixed first bead.

6.C — 7KA-0077The pigeonhole principle

• AI answered with the luckiest case, where the first three balls happen to match.
• BI found the worst case of two of each colour and forgot to take one more.
• DI multiplied the three colours by the three balls I need, rather than thinking about the worst case.
• EI worked from the number of balls of each colour rather than from the number of colours.

7.E — 14KA-0133Counting shapes hidden inside a figure

• AI counted the nine small squares and stopped, missing every larger one.
• BI counted the small squares and the whole board, forgetting the middle size entirely.
• CI found the 2 by 2 squares by splitting the board into blocks, getting two instead of four.
• DI slid the 2 by 2 square across and down but missed one of its four positions.

8.C — 4KA-0140The multiplication principle

• AI counted the codes that do start with A rather than the ones that do not.
• BI counted the letters available for the first position instead of counting whole codes.
• DI counted every arrangement of the three letters and forgot the restriction.
• EI allowed letters to repeat, which the words each exactly once rule out.

9.B — 7KA-0157The pigeonhole principle

• AI thought that one more than the number of colours must give three of a kind, which only guarantees a PAIR.
• CI got to two of each colour, then added one more for each colour instead of one more in total.
• DI assumed the worst case meant emptying the largest pile of 12 reds first.
• EI answered with the number of socks I want rather than the number I must take to be sure of them.

10.A — 120KA-0166Counting up to symmetry

• BI counted every arrangement in a row, so each circular seating got counted once for every rotation.
• CI divided 720 by 20 or some other number instead of by the 6 rotations.
• DI divided by 12, treating reflections as identical too, though the question only allows rotations.
• EI fixed two people rather than one, dividing by an extra factor.