I Need No Corners (Count 'em All 13!)

The figure above shows a 6 × 5 6\times5 grid but this time with all 4 corners cut off forming triangles.

Count the total number of quadrilaterals in the grid above.

Clarification :

  • A quadrilateral is a polygon that has 4 sides.

This is one part of Quadrilatorics .


The answer is 248.

This section requires Javascript.
You are seeing this because something didn't load right. We suggest you, (a) try refreshing the page, (b) enabling javascript if it is disabled on your browser and, finally, (c) loading the non-javascript version of this page . We're sorry about the hassle.

2 solutions

Alex Spagnoletti
Apr 5, 2016

First let's count the quadrilaterals in the sections without corners cut. We have 2 rectangles wich are 4×5 and 6×3. So the numers un quadrilaterals here are ( 5 2 ) × ( 6 2 ) {5 \choose 2}×{6 \choose 2} and ( 7 2 ) × ( 4 2 ) {7 \choose 2}×{4 \choose 2} . Now there is a central part which was conted twice so remove that. It is 4×3 so ( 5 2 ) × ( 4 2 ) {5 \choose 2}×{4 \choose 2} . Now the last things are the quadrilaterals with a corner cut. They can be counted from the image but I noticed that their number is the non-cut squares in the side 2 times plus 1. So for the small side they are 2 × 3 + 1 2×3+1 and for the long side 2 × 4 + 1 2×4+1 , being the sides 2 for each part these values are all taken 2 times. So ( 5 2 ) × ( 6 2 ) + ( 7 2 ) × ( 4 2 ) ( 5 2 ) × ( 4 2 ) + 2 × ( 2 × 3 + 1 ) + 2 × ( 2 × 4 + 1 ) {5 \choose 2}×{6 \choose 2} + {7 \choose 2}×{4 \choose 2} - {5 \choose 2}×{4 \choose 2} + 2×(2×3+1) + 2×(2×4+1) the result of this is 248 \boxed{248}

You could have simply implied inclusion-exclusion.

Kartik Sharma - 4 years, 4 months ago
Ashish Menon
Apr 2, 2016


Careful counting shows that the above figure with 6 6 columns and 1 1 row has 6 + 5 + 4 + 3 + 2 + 1 6+5+4+3+2+1
= 21 21 quadrilaterals.



Careful counting shows that the above figure with 6 6 columns and 2 2 rows has 12 + 10 + 8 + 6 + 4 + 2 + 6 + 5 + 4 + 3 + 2 + 1 12+10+8+6+4+2+6+5+4+3+2+1
= 63 63 quadrilaterals.



Careful counting shows that the above figure with 6 6 columns and 3 3 rows has 18 + 15 + 12 + 9 + 6 + 3 + 12 + 10 + 8 + 6 + 4 + 2 + 6 + 5 + 4 + 3 + 2 + 1 18+15+12+9+6+3+12+10+8+6+4+2+6+5+4+3+2+1
= 126 126 quadrilaterals.



Careful counting shows that the above figure with 6 6 columns and 4 4 rows has 24 + 20 + 16 + 12 + 8 + 4 + 18 + 15 + 12 + 9 + 6 + 3 + 12 + 10 + 8 + 6 + 4 + 2 + 6 + 5 + 4 + 3 + 2 + 1 24+20+16+12+8+4+18+15+12+9+6+3+12+10+8+6+4+2+6+5+4+3+2+1
= 210 210 quadrilaterals.


So, the figure which follows the same pattern and has 6 6 columns and 5 5 rows(i.e. the figure without the cut) should have 30 + 25 + 20 + 15 + 10 + 5 + 24 + 20 + 16 + 12 + 8 + 4 + 18 + 15 + 12 + 9 + 6 + 3 + 12 + 10 + 8 + 6 + 4 + 2 + 6 + 5 + 4 + 3 + 2 + 1 30+25+20+15+10+5+24+20+16+12+8+4+18+15+12+9+6+3+12+10+8+6+4+2+6+5+4+3+2+1
= [ ( 21 × 5 ) + ( 21 × 4 ) + ( 21 × 3 ) + ( 21 × 2 ) + ( 21 × 1 ) ] [(21×5) + (21×4) + (21×3) + (21×2) + (21×1)]
= [ 21 × ( 5 + 4 + 3 + 2 + 1 ) ] [21×(5+4+3+2+1)]
= [ 21 × 15 ] [21×15]
= 315 315


Now, it has four edges cut, so all the quadrilaterals which includes the cut part as one of its edge would not be counted. But, in this process the number of quadrilaterals which have either 1 1 row or 1 1 column would not be counted, because they become trapezium which is a quadrilateral.

Careful counting shows that there are 40 40 such quadrilaterals which have one cut part as their edge. So, yotal number of quadrilaterals with atleast one cut part as their edge = 4 × 40 = 160 4×40=160 . But we ca express one quadrilateral in two forms. For example, a ( 1 × 4 ) (1×4) quadrilateral would co-incide with ( 4 × 1 ) (4×1) quadrilaterals. So, all the 40 40 quadrilaterals are counted twice in rge process, so, the number of quadrilaterals which have to be excluded are 160 2 = 80 \dfrac {160}{2} = 80


Now, careful counting shows that in our process we have counted 18 18 quadrilaterals which has two cut parts as their edge.


Now, again, after completing all these processes the whole figure is being counted 1 1 time extra. So, that too have to be excluded.


Now again, 4 4 cut edges form a triangle, so they have to be excluded.


So, the total number of quadrilaterals = [ ( ( ( 315 80 ) + 18 ) 1 ) 4 ] [(((315 -80)+18)-1)-4]
= [ ( ( 235 + 18 ) 1 ) 4 ] [((235+18)-1)-4 ]
= [ ( 253 1 ) 4 ] [(253-1)-4]
= ( 252 4 ) (252 - 4)
= 248 248 quadrilaterals. _\square

0 pending reports

×

Problem Loading...

Note Loading...

Set Loading...