March 6, 2006
Problem of the Month

Street Closure Problem

The Annual Pi Day march goes through the streets from the School (S) to the Park (P).
Three of the streets are closed.
If the march can only travel East or South, what is the number of different possible ways to get to the Park?

Solution to the Problem:

The answer is 178 different paths.

Use a form of Pascal's Triangle to determine how many ways you can get
to each corner starting at the point S.

Correctly solved by:

1. Martin Round	Studley, Warwicksire, United Kingdom
2. Kimberly Howe	Tuscaloosa, Alabama
3. SreeRoopa Sankararaman	Singapore, Singapore

Send any comments or questions to: David Pleacher