Some cells in a grid are shaded.
As shown below, in each cell, we've recorded the number of neighboring cells that are shaded, inclusive of diagonal neighbors but exclusive of the cell itself.
How many of the 16 cells are shaded?
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Red shaded, green not shaded. This is the only configuration that works
Let's figure out what we can.
Start at the bottom right. Label each square a , b where a is the column and b is the row. Therefore 3 , 4 (i.e the 1) must be shaded because out of 3 , 4 ; 3 , 3 ; 4 , 3 two are shaded - they can't be 3 , 3 and 4 , 3 . Also since one of 3 , 3 and 4 , 3 are shaded, 2 , 3 ; 2 , 4 ; and 4 , 4 are not shaded. Therefore 1 , 3 is shaded (because of 1 , 4 ) so 3 , 3 is unshaded ( 2 , 4 ) which means 4 , 3 is shaded ( 3 , 4 ).
Now the top half is symmetric. 1 , 1 is shaded because out of 2 , 1 ; 2 , 2 ; 1 , 1 two are shaded. Similarly 4 , 1 is shaded.
I think the best way to finish this would be guess and check as there are only two options, given any square - it is shaded or it is not shaded. Suppose 2 , 1 is shaded. Then 1 , 2 ; 3 , 1 ; 3 , 2 are unshaded - contradicting 4 , 2 . Therefore 2 , 1 is unshaded so 2 , 2 is shaded and the rest quickly follows.