Played Chess? Try this Problem.

Three squares are chosen at random on a chess board. Find the probability that they lie on any diagonal.


Note: A line connecting the three squares ( 1 , 1 ) , ( 2 , 3 ) , ( 3 , 5 ) (1,1), (2,3), (3,5) does not form a diagonal.

1 744 \frac1{744} 7 744 \frac7{744} 11 744 \frac{11}{744} 13 744 \frac{13}{744}

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2 solutions

Chew-Seong Cheong
Dec 15, 2014

The total number of possible ways to choose 3 squares from a 8 × 8 8\times 8 chessboard: N = ( 64 3 ) = 64 × 63 × 62 1 × 2 × 3 = 41664 \displaystyle N = { 64 \choose 3} = \frac {64\times 63 \times 62} {1\times 2\times 3} = 41664

There are two sets of 15 diagonals (positive and negative slopes or incline to the right and left respectively) that cut through the following numbers of squares: { 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 7 , 6 , 5 , 4 , 3 , 2 , 1 } \{ 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1\}

We note that if the diagonal cuts through n n squares, the number of ways to choose three squares on the diagonal is given by ( n 3 ) \displaystyle {n \choose 3} . Therefore, the total number of possible ways to choose 3 squares on all 30 diagonals is given by:

M = 2 [ ( 1 3 ) + ( 2 3 ) + ( 3 3 ) + ( 4 3 ) + ( 5 3 ) + ( 6 3 ) + ( 7 3 ) + ( 8 3 ) + ( 7 3 ) + ( 6 3 ) + ( 5 3 ) + ( 4 3 ) + ( 3 3 ) + ( 2 3 ) + ( 1 3 ) ] = 2 ( 0 + 0 + 1 + 4 + 10 + 20 + 35 + 56 + 35 + 20 + 10 + 4 + 1 + 0 + 0 ) = 2 ( 196 ) = 392 \begin{aligned} M & = 2 \left[{1 \choose 3} + {2 \choose 3} + {3 \choose 3} + {4 \choose 3} + {5 \choose 3} + {6 \choose 3} + {7 \choose 3} + {8 \choose 3} + {7 \choose 3} +{6 \choose 3} + {5 \choose 3} + {4 \choose 3}+ {3 \choose 3} + {2 \choose 3} + {1 \choose 3} \right] \\ & = 2 (0+0+1+4+10+20+35+56+35+20+10+4+1+0+0) \\ & = 2 (196) = 392 \end{aligned}

Therefore the probability that the 3 squares chosen line on a diagonal: M N = 392 41664 = 7 744 \dfrac MN = \dfrac {392}{41664} = \boxed {\dfrac {7}{744} }

Sir, I didn't get the second part!! Will you please explain it a bit? and one more question!! The red, green and blue lines connect 8, 7 and 4 squares respectively, why P = 8 C 3 + 7 C 3 + 4 C 3 \ P= 8C3 + 7C3 + 4C3 is not applicable here? Thanks in advance! :D

Asif Hasan - 4 years, 7 months ago

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The problem asks for probability of choosing 3 squares on any diagonal, not any of the three colored diagonals.

Chew-Seong Cheong - 4 years, 7 months ago

As the problem is about probability, the correct way to solve this is using permutation rather than combination. Because {(1,1), (2,2), (3,3)} will appear in the total outcomes 3 times. What do you think ? [Of course the answer will come out to be same]

Abhisek Panigrahi - 3 years, 7 months ago

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Why don't you provide a solution?

Chew-Seong Cheong - 3 years, 7 months ago

What is the meaning of second line ?

Barundev bandopadhyay - 1 year, 4 months ago

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Consider the positive slope for example. The longest diagonal is the one starts at the bottom left-most square to the top right-most square. It cuts through 8 squares. The diagonals on the left and right of this longest diagonal cut through 7 squares. The ones second left and second right to the longest diagonal cut through 6 cells and so on. Therefore there are 15 diagonals with positive slope. Similarly there are 15 diagonals with negative slope.

Chew-Seong Cheong - 1 year, 4 months ago
Abhisek Panigrahi
Oct 30, 2017

Total Number of ways to choose 3 squares = 64 × 63 × 62 64 \times 63 \times 62

As there are 64 ways to choose the first square, there are 63 ways to choose the second square and so on.

Diagonal with size 8 appears 2 times and the diagonal with size {3, 4, ..., 7} appears 4 times.

\therefore Number of times we get 3 squares that lie on a diagonal out of total outcomes is

2 × 8 P 3 + 4 × i = 3 7 i P 3 = 2 × 336 + 4 × ( 6 + 24 + 60 + 120 + 210 ) = 2 × 336 + 4 × 420 = 2352 2 \times {}^8\!P_3 + 4 \times \sum_{i = 3}^7 {}^i\!P_3\\ = 2 \times 336 + 4 \times (6 + 24 + 60 + 120 + 210) = 2 \times 336 + 4 \times 420 = 2352

\therefore The probability to get the three squares on a diagonal = 2352 64 × 63 × 62 = 7 744 = \frac{2352}{64 \times 63 \times 62} = \frac{7}{744}

Nice Solution

Ashish Yadav - 3 years, 5 months ago

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